Plans Change
by kel0158
Summary: Five months after a one night stand Jason goes in search of Elizabeth only to find her pregnant with his child and she's not happy to see him. And that's just the beginning of his problems. Liason.
1. Chapter 1

_Flashfiction is held every Saturday night at The Canvas. A prompt is posted at 7 pm EST and you get an hour to write and edit a fic (beginning, middle and end) using that prompt as inspiration. Some however, turn them into a series, like I have done here. I am new to this so I usually use that whole hour to write and don't have time to edit._

**Flashfiction #141: Plans Change**

**Prompt: That kind of girl**

After a very long business trip in South America, Jason Morgan had finally made it back to Port Charles. A business trip that was only supposed to last two weeks had dragged on for five months and thirteen days. As partner in Corinthos/Morgan Coffee he didn't have a problem with doing all the traveling, he enjoyed it and besides, Sonny had a wife and two children. Or at least he hadn't minded until five months and fourteen days ago.

The night before he left, he had been at Jake's, his favorite bar and second home and had met the most amazing woman he had ever come in contact with. Elizabeth Webber was new to town and was living in one of the rooms above the bar. A dark angel with dark brown hair, in black leather and the skimpiest tank top he had ever seen. She was playing pool and humiliating every guy who dared challenge her, the temptation had been too much for him to ignore.

They'd played game after game, each winning their fair share, drinking cold bottles of Bud and ending up in her room upstairs for a different kind of game. After a long, but enjoyable, night where neither for them had gotten much sleep, he had slipped out of her bed with a promise to call her when he returned.

He sure as hell hadn't expected a simple coffee deal to take so long but here he was, standing outside of Kelly's, the diner Elizabeth waitressed at, looking for her through a window. Scared to go in, to face her after what was presumable a one-night stand, to her anyhow. The whole time he was gone he could not get her out of her his head. When he closed his eyes, he saw her, felt her skin under his hands and mouth and tasted pure, unadulterated lust.

His very first thought after stepping off the plane was to find her, no matter what it took. He had to see her. Had to talk to her. He had no idea what he would say but he had to see her. He had to tell her that what had happened between them had been much more than just a fling. It didn't matter that he didn't know a damn thing about her.

There had to be a reason he couldn't get her out of his head.

There had to be.

It didn't take a genius to figure out a girl like that didn't come around everyday and he would be stupid not to find out what could happen if he wasn't half a world away.

Fortified by his resolution he entered the diner and came face to face with the woman that had haunted his waking and sleeping hours.

The coffee pot she had been holding slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor as she stared in mute shock. Jason did some staring of his own as his eyes traveled down her slim body to land on her swollen stomach.

Her feet were swollen, her back hurt and she had to pee every five minutes. Oh, the joys of being pregnant.

Despite her condition, Elizabeth worked her way through the diner with both grace and speed. She had been waitressing since she was fifteen years old and she was good at it. So good that she'd made it her life's work, not by choice but necessity.

Never mind that she had moved her to go to art school, getting knocked up after a night with some guy whose name she could barely remember had called a grinding halt to that pipe-dream. Oh well, plans change. Waitressing may not be glamorous or earth-shatteringly important but with her tips, she had socked away quite the little nest egg.

Pasting a smile on her face, she poured coffee, served up fried food day after day and tried to forget how she had gotten into this mess. How many times had she asked herself how she had ended up pregnant two weeks before starting classes at PCU with a full scholarship and a job at the campus art gallery?

The answer was simple; she had gotten bored one night, headed to a bar where she could play pool and have a few beers, only to end up in bed with ole what's-his-name. Sure, he had been good-looking – okay, on a scale of one to ten this guy had been a twenty-five, filled out his Levi's really well and had piercing blue eyes but after a night of really spectacular sex he had taken off with the lame promise to call her.

"Yeah, right," She snorted making Mr. Jenkins give her a strange look as she moved away.

Since when did she hook up with some random bar guy? Okay, there was that one time when she'd been at South Padre Island on Spring Break her senior year of high school. But she had been drunk – and young – and stupid. Really, really stupid. But apparently not as stupid as she had been a few months ago.

She was not the type of person to hop into bed with men she didn't know. Except for that huge drunken mistake in high school, she had only slept with two other people. One had been her boyfriend of three years and the other the father of the child she was carrying. She was just not that kind of girl.

She would never drink again. Ever. Although, she didn't have to worry about that for the next four months. Too bad really, she could have used a nice stiff drink to take her mind off her aching feet and back.

If she ever came across old what's-his-name, she hoped she had a knife at hand because he and his super sperm had turned her whole life upside down.

When the door opened she turned around to greet the new patron with a smile and found herself staring into the eyes of the last person she ever expected to step foot in her place of work. "J-Jason," she whispered.

The coffee pot slipped from her numb fingers and crashed to the floor sending glass and hot decaf flying. She watched in mute panic as he raked his eyes over her, coming to rest on her stomach.

"Y-you're pregnant," He stammered.

"Well, I'm not smuggling a basketball under my shirt," She responded rolling her eyes.

He watched helplessly as she glared at him before turning on her heel and stalking away from him. Unaware of all the curious eyes resting on him he followed her into the kitchen.

Doug was about to tell him that customers weren't allowed back there when Jason glared at him. Telling himself that it was the hamburgers that were starting to burn that prevented him from saying anything, Doug let the matter go. Not many people wanted to be on the wrong side of Jason Morgan. Those that did ended up sleeping with the fishes or wearing cement shoes or whatever it was the mob did these days.

Jason found Elizabeth coming out of the supply closet with a mob, broom and dust pan. Seeing that she had been followed she leveled her best drop-dead glare at the offender and tried to maneuver around him.

Stepping in front of her, Jason tried to take everything from her. "You shouldn't be on your feet, Elizabeth."

Jerking away from him, Elizabeth said, "I'm surprised you recognized me since I'm fully clothed and not flat on my back."

His face hardened into a stony mask as he shielded himself from her harsh, razor sharp words. This wasn't going very well, not that he had expected it to. Apparently, he hadn't known what to expect.

Sighing Elizabeth said, "Listen, I've been on my feet all day, I'm cranky and you are the very last person I expected to show up. I have no idea what you came her for and I really don't care. So let's just get this over with so we can both go on our way. Yes, I am pregnant and it's yours. I neither want nor need anything from you; you've done quite enough already. I've got everything under control; I can do this on my own so I don't expect you anything from you. You can just forget you ever came in here and saw me."

"Like I'm going to forget this," He said gesturing to her abdomen. He was both hurt and angry that she seemed intent on keeping him out of his child's life. He hadn't even had five minutes to get used to the idea of being a father and she was already telling him there was no room for him in her or their child's life.

"Of course you can. It took you five months to even come looking for me," She shouted in exasperation. Shouldn't he be relieved that she was letting him off the hook? What guy wanted to be saddled with a kid as a result of a one night stand? "That is if you came looking for me, maybe you were just in the mood for coffee or our special chili and finding me here was just a fluke."

"I was looking for you," He confirmed.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know," She parroted throwing her hands up and letting the cleaning implements she was holding fall to the floor with a clatter. "That's just great."

"I've been out of town for the last five months. I would have called."

With a disbelieving snort she said, "Let me guess, you went to some remote desert island that doesn't have phones and therefore, you couldn't call."

Jason shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "It was business."

"It was business," She repeated as if she understood and then with a shake of her head walked off without another word.


	2. Chapter 2

**Flashfiction #142: Plans Change Part 2**

**Prompt: "Nothing gold can stay" **

_It was business,_ her ever-widening ass, Elizabeth snorted as she stalked out of the kitchen leaving Jason to stare at her retreating back in mute shock. If that was his excuse then he really needed some lessons in bullshitting because she had her doctorate in that particular art.

She neither knew nor cared what his particular business was, it didn't much matter to her in any case. She knew very little about the man that she had met five months ago – in fact, she didn't even know his last name – but apparently, he was cut from the same cloth as her father was, the kind never meant to bring a child into the world. Heaven knew that you had to pass a test to drive a freaking car but any moron could be a father.

When she had discovered that her one night of reckless passion had resulted in the creation of life, she had vowed – after the shock wore off – that she would raise her child with all the love, affection and open-mindedness that she had never known from her parents. Caroline and Jeff Webber were distinguished doctors, known for their tireless work and devotion in underdeveloped countries around the world. Too bad, they had not put half as much effort into the rearing of their youngest, and she knew for a fact, unexpected daughter.

She was an inconvenience at best. The forgotten child neither had time for and what time they did manage to spare was used to list her many faults. She could do no right in their eyes, an utter disappointment in all arenas. Not even her artistic success was not enough to garner even a 'well done' from the people that had brought her into this cruel, unforgiving world. She could just imagine what they would have to say about her current predicament.

It didn't matter, she reminded herself with the shake of her head and she went behind the counter and made a fresh pot of coffee, since she had spilled the last, not to mention broken the pot it had been in. She may not have had the best examples for how to raise a kid but she could learn from Jeff and Caroline's mistakes. Basically, she was going to take a look at what they had done and do the exact opposite.

It was a plan, maybe not a great one but it was something to cling to as her life was turned topsy-turvy.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Jason come back into the diner and stand at the end of the counter. She spared him a glance and then went about rolling silverware. She had nothing left to say to him. She'd done the right thing by admitting the child she carried was his and then let him off the hook. If he was halfway intelligent he would be running for the hills.

Jason cleared his throat and said, "We weren't finished."

A humorless laugh escaped her lips and she couldn't help but turn to look at him with cynicism darkening her blue-green eyes. "Oh trust me, we're finished," She informed him.

"I …"

Slapping her hand down on the counter, effectively cutting him off, Elizabeth looked at him hard enough to have him wondering if he had met the female version of his formidable best friend, Sonny Corinthos. "Listen buddy, I don't know what you want from me but I ido/i know what I want from you, NOTHING. I don't know how to make myself any clearer."

He just stared at her, his face completely blank and stood statue still as if rooted to the floor. It was quickly becoming a look that meant to drive her insane. Apparently, Jason's communication skills left something to be desired because every time she blew up he just gave her the same unreadable, stony look. She'd had a nice, quiet life before she'd made the mistake of walking into Jake's and meeting Mr. Tall-dark-and- mysterious. Between her art and trying to keep as far away from her family as possible she had been moderately happy. If not happy then certainly content. Now she was knocked up and spent her days slinging hash in a nice mom and pop town. The last thing she needed was a man to complicate matters.

Sighing heavily and resting a hand on her protruding stomach she said, "I'm not very good at this being as I've never had to do it before but then again I've never been in this position before, so bear with me a minute. I'm sure the very last thing you expected to find when you came looking for me was to find me pregnant. It's a shock, I know, I wasn't too thrilled when I found out but that's neither here nor there. I'm pregnant and I'm keeping it. I don't expect anything from you, I don't even know you. So if you planned on 'doing the right thing' or any other such nonsense, save your breath. This is not the dark ages and I am not what you'd call conventional so we'll just call our night together exactly what it was, a one night stand. I'm okay with that, you're obviously okay with that or you would have come looking for me a whole lot sooner."

When Jason opened his mouth to argue she simply held up a hand. "Please don't argue we both know I'm right. I'm sure under normal circumstances you are a really nice guy, probably an upstanding member of society and all that stuff. You seemed like a good guy that night at Jake's, if you hadn't been I wouldn't have slept with you."

Jason smirked at her inaccurate assessment but let her carry on her breathless ramble. He would let her go on thinking whatever she wanted, for now at least. Reality would sooner or later intrude upon whatever delusions she was creating. Now that he was home, she would quickly learn what kind of man he was. Not that it would make his job any easier.

"Let's just say our goodbyes and say it was fun while it lasted," She finished with a shrug. "So, see you around Jason, or not, it really doesn't matter much either way."

Never in his life had he been dismissed in such a manner and he wasn't all together sure he liked it. No, he was definitely sure he did not. He might not know much about Elizabeth Webber but at this moment he could say with certainty that she was both stubborn and independent to the nth degree and would probably fight to the death with anyone who tried to take either from her.

He was pretty sure he was falling in love with her, if he hadn't already been already.

Knowing that pushing her now would only result in more argument he turned on his heel and strode out of the diner without looking back once. He would be back and then – he would do the talking.

**Harborview Towers:**

When Jason walked through the door to his penthouse, it was just in time to see Brenda and Jax tumble off the couch in a tangle of arms, legs and other body parts that he had no desire to distinguish.

"You're home," Brenda said, stating the obvious as she tried to extricate herself from the big Australian she'd been cavorting with and wrap a blanket around her nude form at the same time.

"Can you put on some clothes or something?" He asked keeping his eyes averted. "We've got to talk."

"I'm decent," Brenda giggled as Jax hauled himself to his feet and grabbed his boxers, quickly putting them on.

Jason hazarded a glance over at the couple and scowled. He was going to have to have that couch burned now. "Alone," He growled with a pointed look at Jax.

"Jax," Brenda began.

"No worries, I'll just go upstairs and turn down the bed," Jax told her with a grin and then kissed her soundly.

Jason and Brenda waited for her boyfriend to leave before she turned to him and asked, "So what's up?"

Scratching his stubbled cheek, Jason looked at the petite brunette and said, "I want a divorce."


	3. Chapter 3

**Flashfiction #143: Plans Change Part 3**

**Prompt: Big Bang Theory**

"I want a divorce."

She was so shocked that she almost lost hold on the blanket she was wrapped up in. "What?"

Sighing heavily, Jason looked at the woman who was his wife in name only. They had a business arrangement and now he needed out. "A divorce. An annulment. I don't care as long as we do it fast."

"We had a deal," Brenda reminded him. "You know, you protect the insecure twit across the hall from me – the man stealing hussy. Although, I have to tell you if Sonny had married me twenty times I wouldn't be worried about him leaving me. That would tell me he was serious about our relationship."

Running his hands over his face in tired frustration he said, "Brenda."

"Oh I know she's your bestest friend in the whole world, just ask her, she'll tell you."

"Brenda," He warns.

Sneering she cuts off her tirade and reverts to their aforementioned deal. "You are supposed to be the one to have me committed when I finally crack up. You're the only one who'll do it. Sonny or Jax, even the Quartermaine's would try to help me themselves. I can do to them what my mother tried to do to me."

"You're not sick," He informed her when she finally let him get a word in.

"What do you mean I'm not sick?"

"Luis has a brother. I talked to him while I was in South America. What do you think took so damn long?" If he could only get his hands on Lorenzo Alcazar, he would break every bone in his body. Five months of playing cat and mouse. Five months of Alcazar interfering with everything from the coffee business, he was down there for to finding out about Brenda's illness. Five months when he should have been here finding out he was going to be a father.

Brenda gaped at him not knowing what was going on. If she knew one thing, it was that she was that she was eventually going to lose her mind. The doctor's had told her so. She had medication. She – She … didn't know anymore. "I don't understand."

"Luis lied to you, Brenda. You aren't sick."

"No, but I have headaches, really bad headaches. What about the blurred vision and being sick all the time, that has to mean something?"

Taking her arm, he steered her over to the couch and gave her a little shove so she'd sit down. He sat down beside her and said, "All those drugs you were taking gave you those symptoms. You've been taking them for years."

"I haven't taken them since I got away from Luis. You've seen me Jason, I'm still having symptoms. They were really bad there for awhile and I thought – I thought that was it, I was going to get worse," She said as tears filled her eyes. She had been afraid that the disease was progressing even faster than they'd expected and she was starting to lose grasp on reality. There had never been anything scarier in her whole life.

"I know," He said awkwardly patting her shoulder. "You were going through withdrawal."

"Like a junkie?" She asked aghast at the thought.

"Like I said, you'd been taking those pills for a long time. When you went off them like that … there was bound to be some sort of reaction. Your body had to work them out of your system and when it did, it wanted more."

It took her a few minutes to process all of what she has just learned. She was confused and angry but a huge weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. Rocked to her very core with this new information, dropped like a bombshell right in her lap, she had to make sure she was getting this right. "I'm not sick."

"No."

"I'm not crazy," She said with a laugh.

"That's debatable."

Slapping him on the shoulder, she threw her head back and laughed. "This is the best news I've ever gotten. If we both wouldn't be completely repulsed I'd kiss you."

"Please don't."

For some reason the sour expression on his face made her laugh even harder. She was on the verge of hysterics. Never could she remember a time when she had been this happy, relieved or exhilarated. She was going to live. Boy was she going to live.

Jason cleared his throat and asked, "So, can I have my divorce now?"

That got her to sober up. Brenda looked at him, with his solemn face and troubled eyes and knew that something big had happened. "What's the hurry?" She asked with suspicion.

Pinching the bridge of his nose and giving a slight shave of his head, he said, "I just need a divorce. You don't need me to commit you anymore, Jax is free – you two can go run around naked somewhere where I don't have to see it and I get on with my life."

"What life?" She smirked. "As Sonny's errand boy and Carly's one man cleaning crew? Some life you've got there Jason."

"Brenda."

"Are you sure Carly can take it if I'm running around free as a bird? I might just decide I want Sonny."

"You've got Jax."

"Yeah, I do," She replied sounding mighty pleased with herself. Actually, she had no desire to get back into her unhealthy relationship with Sonny Corinthos. No thank you. The man had been responsible for her first breakdown and she wasn't going to give him the chance to inspire her second. Or was it third because she had been on mind altering drugs for the past few years and that might count as some sort of breakdown? Jason could have his divorce. It was just fun to mess with him.

"We'll fly down to Martinique tomorrow and get a divorce," He informed her.

Shaking her head, Brenda said, "I have plans tomorrow."

"Cancel them."

Grinning wickedly, she made him an offer, "I promise to cooperate if you tell me what the big rush is."

Jason never got to answer one way or the other as a knock sounded on the door. Seeing as Brenda was still wrapped in a blanket, he got up and answered it himself.

Taggert shoved a warrant in his face and gave him a triumphant smile. "That's for your lawyer; we know how they like things all nice and neat. You're coming with us down to the station, Morgan."

Fixing Taggert with a steady glare, Jason could not think of worse night in recent history. Elizabeth was pregnant, Brenda was Brenda and now he got to go down to the PCPD to be interrogated for something he couldn't possibly have done being as he just got off a plane a couple of hours ago.

"Can't you see we're busy here?" Brenda asked coming to stand behind her soon to be ex-husband and hitching her blanket up a little higher.

With a smirk, Taggert told her, "Don't worry, we'll see about getting you conjugal visits when the hubby here is in Pentonville."

Ignoring him, Brenda turned to the uniformed officer standing just outside the door with his hand on his gun as if he was worried that Jason would come out both barrels blazing. "My husband just got home. He's been away for months," She said with a little pout and giving him her best doe eyed look. She couldn't very well irritate Jason if he was in jail and like it or not she was sort of fond of the big lug. Not that she would ever let him know that.

"What's the charge?" Jason demanded.

Taggert got right in Jason's face and said, "Murder. It seems Luis Alcazar just took a dive off his balcony and he had help."

"Luis is dead?" Brenda asked in a quiet reserved tone.

"Yeah, and your husband has a lot of questions to answer."

Taggert handcuffed him and lead him out into the hall to the elevator. Brenda trailed behind, trying not to trip over the blanket she was wearing. "I'll call Justus," she offered.

Jason nodded in acceptance and then stared straight ahead as if none of this was happening.

"I'll come as soon as I get dressed," She told him.

"Don't," He replied gruffly.

"You are still my husband," She responded as the doors shut, cutting them off.

It was then that Sonny appeared in the hall and as if she wasn't dressed in a cotton afghan she informed him with her head held high, "Jason has just been arrested for Luis's murder. I'm going to get dressed. I'd like a ride to the PCPD when you go."

That said, she whirled around and disappeared into Jason's penthouse, slamming the door behind her. Sonny stared at the door with something akin to amusement and was curious when no more than a second later Brenda opened the door and stuck her head out.

"I'm also not sick and so Jason and I will be getting a divorce. Better warn the wife I'm on the prowl."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Everything in italics is a flashback/dream.**_

**Flashfic #144: Plans Change Part Four (Rated R)**

**Prompt: Do you have to let it linger?**

_Falling through the door to her room their hands pulling at clothing and mouths assaulting every bare inch of skin they could find. His hands were on her breasts, molding the firm globes as she rubbed herself wantonly against his erection. Elizabeth kicked the door closed with one foot. _

_The slamming of the door caused them to break apart, gasping for air and some semblance of control. Elizabeth leaned against the door, panting and watching him with heavy lidded eyes filled with unmasked arousal. Jason raked his eyes over her slim figure; appreciating the fit of her black leather pants and tiny black tank top. _

_Running a hand through is spiky blond locks he asked, "You sure you want to do this?"_

_Quirking a brow, she straightened from her lounging position and took a single step closer to him. Her hands went to the hem of her top and slowly inched it up her abdomen before whipping it off over her head. "Do I look like I'm unsure?" She replied throwing her shirt at him, which he caught before it could hit him in the face._

_He couldn't help but smirk at her as she kicked off her strappy black heels, fuck me pumps he believed they were called, and for good reason too. _

_Rid of her shoes, she looked up at him, swiping her hair out of her face and tilting her head speculatively to the side. "You're not keeping up," She announced and seemingly glided over to him._

_Elizabeth pulled her shirt, which he still held, from his hand, threw it on the floor before grabbing a handful of his t-shirt on each side and tugging it out of his jeans. "Let me give you a hand," She offered with a sly smile._

_Blown away by her forwardness Jason stood there and let her pull his shirt up, trailing her lips over the bronze skin she exposed. When her tongue darted out to flick his flat male nipple, he almost forgot his name much less how to keep upright. People said he was dangerous – he had nothing on this woman. _

"_Arms," She instructed._

_Blinking at her in confusion, he had no idea what she was talking about._

_Chuckling she said, "Lift your arms."_

_Shaking his head to clear it, he did as she commanded and helped her remove his shirt. It fell to the floor to join hers and he was rewarded with a toe-curling kiss. When he tried to grasp her hips with his hands, she pushed away from him, shaking her head._

"_Uh-uh, not yet," She scolded, backing away. "First your shoes," She said pointing to this motorcycle boots. "You're still catching up."_

_Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Jason wasted no time in removing both his boots and his socks. When he looked up again Elizabeth was standing before him looking delectable in her leather pants and black lacy bra that left little to the imagination, good thing too since he didn't have much of one. _

_Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, Elizabeth's hands went to the button of her jeans, popping it open. Deft fingers grasped the little silver tab of the zipper and eased it down. Her eyes locked on his the entire time. It was clear who was in control here and it wasn't him. _

_Shimming out of the clinging material, Elizabeth bent down to pull them the rest of the way off and step out of them, her hair falling in a curtain over her face. Did it matter that she had just met this guy, she asked herself and not for the first time since leading him upstairs. Glancing up to find him watching her with those piercing blue eyes that had drawn her in like a moth to the flame since first getting a good look at him, she knew it didn't matter at all. _

_After all, a girl was entitled to a little fun._

_Left in a pair of boy shorts that matched her bra, Elizabeth flicked her hair over her shoulder and stood in place for a few long seconds. Whether it was for him to a get a good look at her or because she didn't know what to do next she wasn't sure. _

_The decision was taken out of her hands when Jason snaked a hand around her wrist and towed her over to him. Once she was standing between his legs, he released her wrist. One of his large, rough palmed hands went to her hip, the other to her chin, which he caressed before urging her lips down to his. _

_She might know much about him but he was one hell of a kisser. Wrapping her arms around neck, she sank into the kiss with reckless abandon. _

_Parting her lips with his tongue, Jason quickly swept his tongue through the sweet recesses of her mouth. Elizabeth met him touch for touch, rubbing her tongue against his, trailing her hands up and down his back so lightly it produced goose bumps and her hair tickling his chest and shoulders as she bent over him. _

_With a husky moan, he laid back on the bed, pulling her down on top of him. Lifting her head with a surprised little gasp, Elizabeth swept her hair out of both of their faces with one hand. Smirking again, Jason wrapped one arm around her waist and rolled over, placing her under him._

_Her midnight blue eyes narrowed a bit as if she did not like being dominated and that too amused him. He didn't know what it was about her but from the second he saw her, standing by the pool table downstairs looking so smug as she wiped the floor with some biker, her knew he had to find out who she was. He already knew she would be unlike anyone he had ever come across before. So far, he had not been disappointed._

_Running a single digit up and down the silky strap of her bra, he watched her pupils flare, the black eclipsing the blue. He hooked a finger under the strap and slowly pulled it down, pressing his mouth to her shoulder where it had rested. He did the same to the other and then flicked the front catch open with no trouble at all._

_Feeling shy all of a sudden, Elizabeth reached up and held the cups over the bra in place. Looming over her Jason simply quirked a brow questioningly at her action. "Change your mind?" He asked ready to put an end to things if she said she had. _

_With a shake of her head, Elizabeth pushed him away so she could sit up a little and strip out of the garment herself. As quick as it had hit, her momentary spell of hesitation was gone and she was turning back to him with blazing eyes. She always finished what she started. And she would certainly enjoy finishing this._

_Curling a hand behind his neck, she pulled him into another breath-stealing kiss. While they were busy trying to devour each other, her hands were equally occupied with the fastening of his jeans. When her hands stole inside to grasp his rock hard cock Jason tore away from her mouth with a groan. Elizabeth chuckled softly as she kissed the side of his neck and stroked him through the soft cotton of his boxer briefs._

"_Brat," he accused as he grabbed her and bore down into the mattress. With a cheeky grin, she trailed one of her feet up his shin and wet her lips in a silent invitation. _

_Needing no more incentive, he hooked a finger in each side of her panties and pulled them off. Next he divested himself of his jeans and boxers, taking care to remove a condom from his wallet, which Elizabeth took from him._

_Confidently she ripped the silver foil package open with her teeth and sheathed him. For some reason the fact that she obviously knew what she was doing made him grin crookedly for a second before she beckoned him with a single look. _

_Even though every thing in him screamed for him to take her right then and give them both the relief they needed and wanted he held himself in check. Aware of how small she really was he didn't want to hurt her. Although, so far she had given no sign of being afraid or in the least bit worried. He reached between them, parting her nether lips to find her hot and wet, ready. Flicking her clitoris with the pad of one finger, he was rewarded by a harsh groan and when he slipped a digit inside her channel, she bucked up off the bed. _

_Knowing that neither one of them could wait any longer he entered her with one hard thrust eliciting a gasp from her and a groan from him. They soon found their rhythm, moving together to reach that sharp pentacle of ecstasy. _

Elizabeth bolted upright in bed, a task made more difficult with her pregnant belly, and groaned in frustration. What in the hell was wrong with her, she wondered. The last thing she should be dreaming about is her one and only night with Jason.

She did not need any reminders; the child she was carrying was a constant one, thank you very much. Damn her subconscious.

The baby chose that moment to give her a particularly hard kick and Elizabeth placed a hand on the spot as if to sooth him or her. "It's okay kiddo, mommy's just an idiot."

Annoyed, she laid back down and closed her eyes hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before her alarm when off. Her dream or memory or whatever in the hell you wanted to call it, wouldn't leave her alone though.

She tossed and turned, the baby continued to kick her as she stewed. Stupid, idiotic, didn't think before acting, picked up a strange guy in a bar, ended up pregnant and still dreamed about it. Hell, and that had just been round one. With sex like _that_, there was no wonder she had gotten pregnant though.


	5. Chapter 5

**Flashfiction #145: Plans Change Part 5**

**Prompt: Technical Difficulties **

Since she was up so early, Elizabeth walked down to the corner newsstand to buy the new issue of _Baby_ to see what the so-called experts were saying about raising kids these days. It was there that the front of that morning's _Port Charles Herald_ caught her eye.

Right there in black and white was the man that consumed her ever waking or sleeping thought. Snatching up a copy, she paid the clerk and walked over to a bench. The brightly magazine tossed aside, forgotten she eagerly looked at the newspaper. She learned two very interesting and one might say important details. One, Jason's last name was Morgan. Always good to know considering she was carrying his baby, it would help avoid some very uncomfortable questions later on. Two, it would appear that Jason Morgan was a reputed mob enforcer.

Yeah, her day was just getting better and better.

Any minute now it would start pouring down rain so she could be wet, catch a cold _and_ pregnant with a mobsters child. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Leaving her magazine lying abandoned on the bench, she clutched the newspaper in her hand and went over to a near-by payphone. What were the odds that a mafia type dude would be listed in the yellow pages?

**Harborview Towers: **

Normally going to call on a known criminal might give her some cause of trepidation but call it hormones because she was breathing fire and she could give a shit less who Jason Morgan was or what he did for a living. Never one to believe everything she read she wanted to hear it straight from the source.

"Can I help you?" A hulking man in a gray suit asked with a slight Italian accent.

All Elizabeth really registered was that his blue tie matched his eyes and even though she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye and was three or four times her size, he had a nice smile. "Which one of these is Jason Morgan's?" She asked boldly, never one to be intimidated.

"Penthouse 4," He answered pointing to the door.

"Thank you," She replied with a grim smile and strode to the door. Without even thinking about what she might be getting into, she rapped on the door with her tiny fist. _Open up asshole, I want some answers_.

The door was wrenched open by the man in question and he didn't look to happy. Of course, she couldn't blame him since the Herald mentioned that he had just been released that morning after spending the night at the PCPD being held for questioning in the murder of Luis Alcazar. She didn't care.

"Elizabeth?" He asked, clearly surprised to find her standing on his doorstep.

Unfolding the paper with a snap, she held it up for him to read. "Is this true?" She demanded.

Scanning the headlines and getting a good look at the grainy photo of him, Sonny and Justus descending the steps of the PCPD, he ran a hand though his disheveled hair and sighed heavily. Judging by the sour look on her face, accompanied by an otherwise attractive rosy glow, he was going to say she hadn't known who he was before seeing the paper.

When he just stood there looking all rumpled and confused – and god help her, sexy – she asked, "Are you or are you not a known mafia enforcer?"

"Maybe you ought to come in," He suggested seeing that she had already gotten the attention of Max and Marco, who had just come on duty.

"No," She refused shaking her head and rattling the paper in his face. "What you _need_ to do is tell me if I am having a little mobster or not."

"Elizabeth –"

"No, start talking Morgan, or I walk. You'll never see me or this kid ever again."

Jason heard a softly spoken 'whoa' from one of the guards and shook his head. Not many people talked to him like that, he could probably count them on one hand. People were frightened of him. Brain damaged thug, the wayward son of the Quartermaine family, the black sheep, Jason 'the Borg' Morgan, just as likely to kill you as to speak to you.

Elizabeth didn't know all that though. Until this morning he had just been some guy from Jake's who happened to knock her up after one amazing night of sex, and showed up after five months without a damn word to fuck up her life even more. Yeah, he was a real winner.

Now what the hell was he supposed to do?

"Jason," Brenda said coming up behind him. "Who's at the door?"

He saw Elizabeth lower the paper and her eyes narrow at the sound of another woman's voice and new that his problems had just begun. Glancing over his shoulder at his soon to be ex-wife he saw her reach of the door to pull it open further for her to investigate their early morning visitor herself. He didn't try to stop her. He couldn't.

"Hi," Brenda greeted with a bright smile as she looked Elizabeth over curiously, not missing that she was very much pregnant.

"Hi," Elizabeth nodded sounding less than pleased. She glared at Jason in such a way that made him want to curl up and die. "I'm Elizabeth Webber," She said holding out a hand to Brenda.

"Brenda Barrett-Morgan," She responded shaking the younger woman's hand warmly.

Elizabeth slid Jason a look and asked, "Sister?"

Brenda laughed and said, "No, I'm his wife."

He groaned as Elizabeth mouth tightened, the smile never left her face but took on a slightly nasty edge. She nodded once and then threw the newspaper at Jason's head before whirling around and striding to the elevator.

Jason caught the newspaper and threw it over his shoulder before darting out in the hall to stop Elizabeth from leaving. For some reason he believed her when she said she would walk away and he would never see her or their child again.

Elizabeth slapped the button on the control panel and was pleased when the doors immediately opened. She heard Jason call her name and turned toward him to tell him exactly what she thought of him as she stepped on the lift. Only she came up against a brick wall in the form of Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Port Charles's very own godfather.

"Whoa, are you okay?" He asked grabbing her forearms when she swayed on her feet.

"I – yes, I'm fine. Sorry I ran into you. Wasn't watching where I was going," She said as she pulled from his loose grasp and slipped onto the elevator.

Sonny watched as Jason slammed a hand on the door just as Elizabeth pushed the button for the lobby and the ensuing argument when Jason asked her to come back and then physically remove her from the elevator.

"Let me go!" Elizabeth yelled as she tried to jerk out of the hold Jason had on her upper arm.

"Not until we talk," Jason replied, hauling her towards his open penthouse door where Brenda stood curiously watching.

"As I remember it you aren't much of a talker," Elizabeth argued as she aimed a kick at his shin.

Jason dodged the blow easily and towed her along with little regard for those observing one of the most shining moments of his life.

"Uh, Jason, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Sonny asked with a dimpled smile, obviously enjoying himself.

Jason glared at him, which only made his smile grow in intensity. Brenda, never one to keep her nose out of things that were none of her business, supplied, "Her name is Elizabeth Webber and the reason Jason wants to divorce me, I think."

"Oh great, now I'm a home wrecker," Elizabeth groaned.

"You are not a home wrecker," Jason assured her as they made it into his penthouse and he slammed the door on the onlookers. All they needed to make it a three-ring circus was for Carly to hear the commotion and come to investigate.

Jason deposited Elizabeth on the couch with a growled or to, "Sit down."

Elizabeth sat only because her legs were shaking, as was most of her body. He was a criminal … and worse, a married criminal. Her eyes welled with tears and she had to swallow a sob as she looked up to see Brenda staring at her. "I am so sorry. I had no idea-"

Brenda dismissed her with a wave of a hand. "Forget it sweetie, it's nothing."

"Nothing?" Elizabeth parroted in shock. This woman had just found out that not only had her husband cheated on her but had gotten his partner in that particular sin pregnant. Who in the hell had she gotten herself mixed up with?

"Brenda, go see your boyfriend or something," Jason snarled. The last thing he needed was more help from his _wife_.

"Boyfriend?" Elizabeth squeaked looking between the two. No wonder Brenda wasn't upset, she had someone on the side as well. She'd heard of open marriages before but never actually met anyone that had one.

"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Brenda asked sweetly.

"No," Jason barked, a little vein in his neck throbbing.

Getting to her feet, Elizabeth looked at both of them and shook her head. "Tell you what, I'll do us all a favor and be the one to leave."

Brenda smirked and said, "No, Jason wants you to stay."

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at a glowering Jason and said, "I don't care what Jason wants."

Looking more than a little impressed, Brenda smiled at her "husband's" mistress with a deep respect. Finally a woman that didn't bow down at the alter of one of PC's two Mafioso royalty. Suddenly, she really liked this woman. It wasn't every day you got to see Jason Morgan squirm.

As fun as it was, it was time for her to leave those two crazy kids alone to work things out. "Just out of curiosity, how far along are you?" Brenda asked.

"Five months."

Brenda looked over at Jason and grinned. "You better work fast Jase; you've only got four months."


	6. Chapter 6

**FlashFiction #146: Plans Change Part 6**

**Prompt: ****"As you wish." **

Brenda looked over at Jason and grinned. "You better work fast Jase; you've only got four months."

"Would you go upstairs," Jason growled. Never before had he wanted to strangle her more than in this moment. The first chance he got, he was calling Justus and having him draw up the divorce papers. If he had to stay married to Brenda for even another day, he might kill her … or himself.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" She asked with a grin. "You might need my help."

"No."

"As you wish," Brenda replied with a mock bow. Turning to Elizabeth, she said, "It was nice to meet you, highly entertaining."

"It's been interesting," Elizabeth agreed with a half-hearted smile. As pissed as she was she couldn't be entirely rude to Brenda. However, she wouldn't lie and say it had been much of a pleasure to meet her. That would be hard to do considering Brenda was married to the father of her child. Something she still could not seem to wrap her mind around.

Brenda disappeared upstairs, leaving Elizabeth and Jason alone in the living room, locking a face off. She glared at him with thinly veiled contempt and he studied her with curiosity.

"You want to sit down?" He asked gesturing to the couch.

Shaking her head she said, "I don't plan to be here that long."

For once in his life, Jason wished he were good with words. It would take some pretty fancy talking to get through to Elizabeth. "You still want an answer to your question?" He asked.

"Yes," She replied crossing her arms.

"Then sit down."

Instead of sitting back on the couch as he wanted, Elizabeth parked herself in a nice overstuffed chair. "Just for the record, I don't take orders from anyone. I'm only staying because I need to know what is going on for the sake of my baby. You've got ten minutes, so talk fast."

He had half a mind to tell her, he didn't take orders either but he somehow figured that would just add fuel to the fire and she'd take off. He didn't know her well enough to read her, except for the obvious signs of anger, he couldn't read her.

He could not tell her that questions were not allowed in his line of work or that women were allowed even less information. His only choice was to answer whatever questions she had without revealing too much. Not the best way to start a relationship.

Sitting down on the couch he asked, "What do you want to know?"

There were so many questions she didn't know where to start. Being as the newspaper had prompted her visit she figured that would be the best place to start. "How much of what was reported in _The Herald_ was true? Are you – that is do you –"

"I didn't kill Luis Alcazar."

"That's good," She nodded. "Doesn't answer my question though, are you in the mob?"

Scratching the back of his neck, he tried to decide how to answer. It was a pretty direct question, not one that would be easy to sidestep and Elizabeth would want a straight answer.

"It's a yes or no question Jason, pretend you're on the witness stand. I'm sure you've been there a time or two."

He really didn't like the dig or the smirk she wore. Had he known what a handful she was when he'd picked her up at Jake's all those months ago?

When he still didn't seem inclined to answer, she sighed. "If you won't answer the question I might as well leave right now. This is your last chance."

She was almost out of her seat when he said, "It's true."

Plopping back down, Elizabeth stared at him for a moment and then hung her head, covering her eyes with one hand. How did she get herself in these messes? Of all the men in all the world she had to hook up with a criminal. Her parents were just going to love this. You know, when they bothered to check in on her.

"I can't tell you exactly what I do or what I have done in the past but you have a right to know – for the baby."

"And Brenda?" She asked still not lifting her head. She didn't want to look at him. She really didn't want to hear this but she had to.

"It's complicated."

"Then uncomplicated it," Elizabeth snapped as she jerked her head up to glare at him. "I want to know why a married man would go to a bar and deliberately cheat on his wife."

Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, Jason sighed heavily. "I've known Brenda a long time. Up until a few months ago, we thought she was dead. When she showed up very much alive and thought she had a genetic disease that would slowly make her lose her mind, I married her."

"So you're friends?" Elizabeth asked trying to make sense of what he was telling her.

"No, we are not friends."

"But you married her anyway?"

"To save Sonny and Carly's marriage."

Blinking uncomprehendingly she said, "I don't get it. Your boss's marriage was at risk because of Brenda and that somehow had something to do with you."

"They're my best friends," He responded as if that explained everything.

Letting that part go for now she said, "Let's see if I'm getting this, you married Brenda to save your so-called friend's marriage. Why are you still married to her?"

"Up until two weeks ago we all thought she was sick and I was the only one willing to have her committed to treatment when the time came."

"And this boyfriend you mentioned couldn't do that?"

Shaking his head, Jason said, "She didn't want to put someone she loved and loved her to have to go through that. Neither Jax nor Sonny could do it, she knew that."

"Is-is Brenda okay now?" She asked sincerely.

"She's going to be fine, which means we can get divorced."

"Don't bother on my account."

"Elizabeth, I –"

Jason was cut off when the front door flew open and Carly came rushing in. "Sonny just told me you are kicking the harpy to the curb. It's about damned time," She said taking no notice that Jason was not alone.

"Not now, Carly," He told her sounding very tired.

"_Not now Carly_" She mocked and then waved a hand in dismissal. "I came over to watch that skinny little bitch get the hell out of all our lives." Smiling victoriously, Carly put her hands on her hips and looked around already imagining what it would be like to be able to visit her best friend without having to worry about running into Little Miss Perfect. It was then that she noticed the strange woman sitting with Jason. "Who the hell are you?"

Elizabeth smirked as she got to her feet, aware of the exact second that the shrill blond realized she was pregnant. "Me? I'm no one," She said blithely. Casting a look over at Jason she said, "No one at all."

"Elizabeth," Jason said as he rose to his feet as well and rested a hand on her shoulder. Their ten minutes weren't up yet and he had so much to say to her. Most of all he wanted to make sure she wouldn't walk out of the penthouse and therefore his life for good.

Glancing over her shoulder she said, "I think you've already got too many women in your life, Jason. I'll make it easier on all of us and remove myself from the equation."

He shook his head and said, "No, that's not what I want."

Shrugging off his hand, Elizabeth gave him a sad little smile and said, "Like I said before, I don't care what you want."

Carly watched the whole exchange with more than a little interest and started to put the pieces together. Some people might think she was less than intelligent but those people were the stupid ones. She saw more than anyone thought and knew how to draw her own conclusions.

Right now, she had just learned that Brenda was the least of her problems. Jason was still married to Sonny's ex and had already found his next little milquetoast waif. Not only that, but he had gotten this one pregnant. Making it that much harder for her to send this one packing as well.

"Goodbye Jason," Elizabeth told him firmly as she walked out the door Carly had continently left open. She even spared a smile to Max and Sonny who was just coming out of his penthouse.

"Elizabeth," Jason called ready to run out and drag her back again.

"Let her go," Carly said laying a hand on his arm. "Just let her go."

Something painful tightened in his chest as he watched Elizabeth board the elevator and disappear out of sight, possibly even out of his life. "I can't," He said softly. He couldn't just let her walk away.


	7. Chapter 7

**FlashFiction #147: Plans Change Part 7**

**Prompt: Famous Last Words **

He had faced a lot of difficult situations in his life but never had Jason been in such a predicament. He was married to Brenda, had Carly on his back 24/7, handled business with Sonny and now had a baby on the way with a woman he barely knew and boy did she have a temper on her. Some days, he just wanted to jump on his bike and leave everything and everyone behind.

"Jason, who was that?" Carly demanded as she put one hand on her hip and the waved the other around as she ranted about how stupid he was to get some girl pregnant.

Jason groaned when Brenda suddenly appeared on the stairs and sadly enough she didn't have any luggage with her which meant she probably wasn't moving out.

"What is _still_ doing here?" Carly screeched at the appearance of her rival.

"Oh me? I live here," Brenda answered with a smirk. "You on the other hand don't, so just let yourself out."

"I have every right to be here. Jason's my best friend."

Brenda snorted in a very unladylike manner and then turned her attention on Jason. "Where's Elizabeth? Don't tell me Carly chased her off already." She was so much looking forward to Jason's so-called best friend and the mother of his child going head to head. For the record, her money was on Elizabeth.

"Don't start," He warned his soon-to-be-ex-wife.

"Don't start what?" Sonny asked entering the fray with a dimpled grin. "I saw your friend leave, Jase. Such a nice, sweet-tempered girl isn't she?"

The urge to pick up the sofa and throw it through the balcony doors was so great, Jason had to take several deep breathes as he covered his eyes with his hands. Maybe if he kept them closed he would open them to find all of this a really bad dream. That is if he had dreams, which he didn't so … yeah, he was screwed.

When he dropped his hands and opened his eyes, Jason found three pairs of eyes all on him, demanding answers. Didn't they know he didn't have a damn clue what was going on? He _did not_ always have all the answers.

"Jason?" Sonny prodded, getting a little worried about his friend.

"Can't you see you're not wanted here? Just get the hell out!" Carly raged.

"I could say the same to you," Brenda replied in a cool tone.

Carly could yell and scream until her tiny little head exploded and she still would not care. She had come downstairs with every intention of leaving to give Jason and Elizabeth some privacy but when she had returned to find Carly in residence and Elizabeth nowhere to be found, she had decided to stick around. Someone had to keep Carly from trying to run Jason's life and Jason from letting her just to shut her up. That had been going on for far too long as far as Brenda could tell.

"I live here," Carly retorted wanting desperately to claw out the former models eyes.

"No, you live across the hall," Brenda corrected pointing out the still opened door toward the Corinthos penthouse. "Unless of course Sonny came to his sense and threw you out."

"Wouldn't that just make your year? Then you could move right on in on him like the leech that you are. Isn't enough that you've sucked Jason dry now you have to go back to Sonny, my husband, for seconds?"

"SHUT UP!" Jason yelled unable to take the bickering one more second.

Brenda smirked, as did Sonny but Carly simply gaped at him as if shocked that he would ever yell at her, not that he hadn't before and wouldn't again in the near future if warranted.

With everyone quiet, Jason's brain began to function again. Swallowing past the white-hot ball of anger in his throat he said, "Brenda can stay as long as she wants." When Carly opened her mouth to respond he silenced her with a look. "As long as she wants or until she drives me insane and has to have me committed," He stressed.

"Thank you," Brenda told him sincerely and then gave Carly a smug little smile.

"Now," Jason continued crossing his arms over his chest as if to prepare him for the onslaught after his next announcement, "The woman that just left here is carrying my child. I just found out about it and if anyone –," He paused to look at Carly, "_anyone_ gives her a hard time, they are going to have to deal with me."

So pleased with that little declaration, Brenda was ready to do a little cheer. Since she had returned, she had seen first hand how Jason let the Corinthos family run his life. The thing was that he spent so much time taking care of Sonny's family, he didn't have a life. He had work and more work there was no Jason time. Truth was she felt sorry for him. For a guy that thought everyone should live their life their own way he was doing a truly horrible life of following his own lead.

Since Carly was simmering, Sonny stepped forward and offered Jason his hand. "Congratulations, you'll make a great father."

Shaking his mentor's hand, Jason mumbled, "I only hope I can convince Elizabeth of that."

"If she doesn't know how great you are then she's even dumber than she looks," Carly said unable to let the opportunity to get her digs in slide.

"Carly," Sonny cautioned in a dark tone. He was getting very tired of his wife's inability to let Jason have someone in his life other than her. Her insecurities were getting old and he thought that by now she should be at least somewhat secure in her marriage with him and her friendship with Jason. When had either one of them turned their back on her when she really needed them?

"You'll convince her," Brenda assured him with a smile. "And if you can't then I will."

"Brenda," Jason said warily, "don't help."

"It's not like you were getting anywhere with her," She reminded him.

Though she might be right, Jason was not about to let Brenda loose on anyone, much less Elizabeth. "I've got it under control."

"Uh-huh," She said doubtfully. "The famous last words of a desperate and delusional man, Ladies and Gentlemen. Oh, and Carly too I suppose."

**Kelly's: **

Muttering to herself, Elizabeth stormed into her tiny studio apartment marched right over to her closet. She pulled out her suitcase and flung it on the bed. Then she went to her dresser, started opening drawers and pulling clothes out. Not bothering to fold them, she tossed them in the suitcase.

"Goodbye Port Charles," She grumbled to herself. "I'd like to say it's been fun but I'd only be lying."

When the drawers where empty she went back to the closet and grabbed an arm full of clothes, hangers and all and heaped them into the suitcase. It was a good thing she had gained a few pounds because she had to sit on the bag to get it closed and zipped.

Perspiring for both her walk from Harborview Towers and her hurried packing, Elizabeth didn't stop to rest. She just grabbed another bag and started filling it as well. Call her impulsive or just plain old reckless but she would be damned if she stayed in this town for one day longer.

She should have done this the moment she found out she was pregnant and had no idea where to find the father. There was no reason whatsoever to stick around. So what if she had nowhere to go or no one to turn to. She could take care of herself and anyone else that came along just fine. She didn't need her parents help or Jason's either.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," She berated herself. How could she have possibly gotten into this mess?

This morning she had thought that the worst of it was over. Sure, Jason had shown up out of the blue and complicated an already complicated situation but she could handle it. She _was_ handling it. Then with one glance at the front page of the newspaper she had found that yes, life could get worse.

"I'm pregnant with a mobster's child," She groaned sinking down on the corner of her unmade bed.

Putting a hand to her rounded abdomen, she sighed. "Don't worry kiddo, we are going to be just fine. You are going to be just fine. No, you are going to be great. I'll make sure of it."

Somehow, she would make sure everything turned out okay for both of them. She may not have a plan right now but that was what long bus trips were made for, thinking and planning. All she had to do was buy a ticket for the first Greyhound headed out of this hellhole and everything would look so much clearer tomorrow - when she was in a different town or better yet, a different state.

Snatching the cordless phone off the rickety little table she used as a nightstand she dialed the number of a reliable cab service she sometimes used when the bus was too much trouble and it was too far for her to walk. "Yes, I'd like a car sent to Kelly's," She said when the service picked up. "In about ten minutes."

They told her it would be about fifteen but she didn't care. What was five more minutes when she faced an eternity of uncertainty?


	8. Chapter 8

**Flashfiction #148: Plans Change Part 8**

**Prompt: The trials of Job **

The diner was pretty empty and for that she was grateful. The last thing she needed was people tripping over her bags as she sat at the counter trying to explain to her boss, Bobbie Spencer, why she had to leave town on such short notice.

"Port Charles just isn't working out for me," Elizabeth admitted with a shrug and tried not to roll her eyes at the understatement of her predicament. This town had to be cursed or something because it seemed that her luck had finally run out – about five months and two days ago.

The older woman eyed her young employee suspiciously but her frown was worried. "Sweetie, are you sure you should be traveling right now?"

Shrugging again, Elizabeth said, "Better now than in a couple of months when I'm as big as a house."

Nodding, Bobbie accepted that for what it was, a nice evasion. "And you won't tell me what happened to bring this sudden decision to take off?" She asked hoping she would get a straight answer this time. She wasn't upset about losing an employee, although Elizabeth was a wonderful one, it was that it seemed that her young friend was running from something – or someone. That really worried her.

Barbara Jean Spencer knew the dark underbelly of life very well and when Elizabeth had walked into the diner she ran with her older and slightly crazy brother, Luke, four months ago, she had seen something of herself in the young woman. Elizabeth pulled no punches. If you wanted honesty then you got it – in spades sometimes. Besides that, you could tell she had a very kind heart, one that had probably been stomped on one too many times. Bobbie couldn't help but hire her and come to think of her as a daughter.

Considering her relationship with her real daughter was on perpetually shaky ground it wasn't difficult to imagine trading Carly in for someone more like Elizabeth. Sadly, you didn't get to pick your children just as children didn't get to choose their parents. If they did then Bobbie was positive that Carly would have chosen someone besides her.

Port Charles was not story book town, a fact that all of its inhabitants had learned well. Organized crime ran rampant and the police force was all but useless against it. Bobbie, unlike most citizens, had a hard time being mad about that though. She didn't want her son-in-law, Sonny, or dear friend, Jason, going to jail. A long time ago Bobbie had accepted that the Spencer's would never be on the right side of the law, they preferred to skate it.

Knowing what she did and having seen more than her fair share of heartache, Bobbie had a feeling that Elizabeth Webber was in some pretty serious trouble and if her mother's intuition was right, it had something to do with the child her charge was carrying.

Laying her hand over Elizabeth's, Bobbie said, "You can tell me anything, it won't go any further. I just want to help you."

The older woman's concern was touching in a way that brought tears to her eyes. Elizabeth could not remember anyone else in her entire life that had ever genuinely cared about her. She hated to even think it but maybe Port Charles wouldn't be so easy to leave after all. In her short time living there, she had made friends and tentative connections like she never had before.

Then again, that was just another reason to leave.

Get out while she still could.

If there was one thing she didn't need it was ties, whether they be familial or just ones of friendship. They never lasted and she was always the one left behind. Alone.

That was okay though; that was all she needed. The only person she could count on was herself and now that she had a someone else to look out for … all the better. She didn't need Jason. She didn't need anyone.

"I appreciate the concern Bobbie, but I'm not in trouble," Elizabeth replied and then laughed as she glanced down at her rounded abdomen. "Well, not in any new trouble."

Managing a smile, Bobbie removed her hand from Elizabeth's and put it on her hip. She by no means bought anything Elizabeth was saying but she couldn't push too much. Elizabeth wasn't one to talk openly about herself or any problems she may have. "So, there's nothing I can do to convince you to stay? A raise? A room here so you don't have to keep trekking back and forth from your studio? Anything at all?"

Smiling, Elizabeth shook her head. "Sorry but my cab will be here any minute."

Sighing, Bobbie rounded the counter to hug her. "Just take care of yourself and the little one. And you call me if you need anything. Even if you just want someone to talk to."

Hugging the older woman back, Elizabeth promised that she would and she actually thought she meant it too.

With a slight sniffle, Bobbie pulled away and started to say something when there was a crash in the kitchen followed by a string of very colorful curses. Both women turned to look but it was Bobbie that groaned when she recognized the voice. "I better go see what Luke is up to before he burns the whole place to the ground or decides to set up a high stakes poker game upstairs."

Chuckling softly Elizabeth told her former boss goodbye and watched as the red head flew into the kitchen, yelling her brother's name in less than welcoming tones as she went. She would miss the antics of Luke Spencer, probably the most eccentric man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Even if the misguided bar owner had tried to set her up with his son at one point.

Shuddering, she forced that nightmare from her mind.

Idly stirring her herbal tea, Elizabeth tried not to second-guess her decision. That was proving to be more difficult than expected though. For someone who had never formed many attachments she had grown rather fond of some of the people around there.

However, leaving was for the best.

For all of them, she thought as she laid a hand on her stomach and closed her eyes.

"If you think you are going to ruin his life you have another thing coming."

Elizabeth's eyes flew open to find the blond from Jason's penthouse standing beside her, looking as if she was raring for a fight. "Excuse me but do I know you?" She asked quirking a brow.

With a flip of her hair, the blond said imperiously, "I'm Carly Corinthos – Mrs. Sonny Corinthos."

Almost laughing, Elizabeth said, "How nice for you." She didn't care if this chick was the First Lady or Lady Di reincarnated. All she wanted was to be left alone.

Narrowing her eyes Carly slapped her hand down on the counter and said, "If you think I am going to let you waltz in here and hurt Jason then you have another thing coming."

"Oh really?" Elizabeth asked straightening up in her seat and lifting her chin in answer to that challenge. "And you think you're going to stop me?"

"Damn right I am," Carly replied with a curt nod of her head. Grabbing her purse, she pulled out her checkbook and asked, "How much?"

"A cup of coffee is a dollar twenty-five but I don't work here anymore so you'll have to wait."

Grinding her teeth together, Carly had to resist the urge to smack that smug little smirk right off Elizabeth's face. "How much to get you and _your_ baby to disappear? Name your price?"

Reeling back in shock, Elizabeth stared at Jason's supposed best friend. The nerve of some people thinking that anything and anyone was for sale. "You don't have enough money to pay me off," She finally said with a hard look.

"Try me, Sweetie."

Man, if she wasn't pregnant she would love to knock Mrs. Sonny Corinthos right on her bony ass. But she was so she couldn't. It was it was a damn shame too. Knowing that she her cab was most likely pulling up outside as she spoke, Elizabeth said, "Let me save you the trouble – if you'd taken a minute to look around, you would see that I'm leaving town. So save your money and your threats for the next girl Jason knocks up."

"You're leaving?" Carly parrots suspiciously. There was no way that some little nobody would pass up the chance to bleed Jason dry when she was carrying the ultimate bargaining chip. The one thing that Jason wanted more than anything in the world and would do anything for; his child.

Nodding, Elizabeth said, "On the next bus out of this freak show they call a town."

She couldn't wrap her mind around it. "You're going to leave, just like that?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly Carly knew exactly what was going on. "It's not his baby is it? You thought you could pass someone else's baby off as Jason's and then found out that Jase isn't as easy to con as you thought. Smart. Let me tell you something, Jason Morgan is nobody's fool."

"Except maybe yours," Brenda chimed in as she entered the fray, having been passing by when she saw Carly berating Elizabeth. And after Jason specifically told her not to too.

Elizabeth couldn't explain it but she was relieved to see Brenda. You know, even though she was Jason's wife.

"Like you aren't happy to see her go," Carly sniped. "With her gone you don't have to worry about losing your meal ticket."

Brenda just smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "In case you haven't noticed, Jax isn't exactly a pauper. I don't need Jason's money. Or Sonny's either for that matter, even though he's offered."

Carly's face burned with a combination of anger and humiliation. She had no idea that Sonny had offered his ex money. Besides that she was feeling out numbered with both Elizabeth and Brenda seemingly on the same side.

When Carly appeared unable to respond, Brenda turned to Elizabeth. "See, Carly's got her panties all in a twist because she doesn't want anyone in Jason's life. She likes to keep him at her beck and call and if he had a girlfriend or god-forbid a family of his own, she wouldn't hold the top spot on his list anymore. She's very insecure, not to mention selfish and self-absorbed."

Carly lifted her arm and was about to slap Brenda when someone clamped a steel-like grip around her wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she found Jason glaring down at her. "Jase," She squeaked knowing she was in trouble. Not only with Jason but with Sonny too once Jason told him.

"Go home," He commanded leaving no room for argument as he released her arm and gave her a little push towards the door. "Now."

"I came to see Momma," She pouted as she rubbed her wrist.

"See her later," He replied, the vein in his pulsing like it always did when he was angry.

"What about Brenda?"

"Carly," Jason warned.

"Fine," She yelled then whirled around and stomped out of the diner like a three year old.

Glancing over at Brenda and Elizabeth, his eyes fell on the bags around Elizabeth and felt his gut tighten painfully. "You're leaving?" He asked, his gaze zeroing in on her.

"Yes," She answered slowly as she slid off her seat. The urge to run had just overtaken her once more and this time she was not going to give herself time to doubt it.

Brenda back away from them and tried to make herself invisible. This was for them to work out but she was hesitant to leave. If Jason screwed this up, she was going to have to step in. There was just no way she could stay out of it, even if that meant having to fight Jason tooth and nail along the way.

"You weren't even going to tell me?" He asked sounding hurt.

"I told you I was removing myself from the equation," She responded as her foot hit one of her bags and she picked it up. Slinging one bag over her shoulder and grabbing the handle of the other, Elizabeth allowed herself what would possibly be her very last look at Jason. "It's for the best."

When he didn't say anything, she sighed but oddly enough it wasn't in relief. Part of her, the part she usually ignored, wanted him to argue with her, ask her to stay. Hell, beg her to stay. With a tremulous smile in Brenda's direction, Elizabeth adjusted the strap on her shoulder and left the diner without a single look back.

"Go after her, you idiot," Brenda urged as she slapped Jason on the shoulder.

Shaking his head, Jason sank down on the stool Elizabeth had just vacated and propped his chin on his hand. There was a fist clenched around his heart so tight that even if he wanted to he couldn't run after her. There was no way he could possibly convince her to stay. He could barely get her to be in the same room with him.

It was stupid to come looking for her in the first place with the intention on getting the rest of his promised ten minutes. He didn't know what he would have said, it wouldn't have mattered anyhow. Elizabeth was gone. Gone before he had ever found her again.

"You are so stupid!" Brenda raged putting both hands to her head and screaming. "I can't believe you are going to let her go. Not only her but your baby."

"Leave it alone, Brenda."

"You'll never ever see them again. You'll never know whether you have a son or a daughter running around out there. You will never know what it is like to have something real, something of your own. Someone to love you."

Turning around in his chair, Jason sighed as he ran his hands down his denim-clad thighs. He hated it when she made sense. It was a rare occurrence but always and annoying one. About to get to his feet, the door to the diner burst open and a man ran in.

"Someone call 911, some pregnant broad just passed out."


	9. Chapter 9

**Flashfiction #149: Plans Change Part 9**

**Prompt: Through good and bad and straight through indifference without a second look **

**General Hospital Emergency Room: **

Despite the cold ball of fear in her gut, Brenda was amused. Amused to see Mr. Cool-under-pressure Jason Morgan pacing the waiting area like a caged animal, ready to pounce at any moment and all over a woman he was too chicken to chase after.

But chase he had.

The white terror on his face when that cabbie had come bursting through the doors had broken through the stony mask of indifference Jason had assumed. It was then that Brenda knew that her husband, soon to be ex husband, had a heart after all. Not only that, but he was in love.

She never would have taken him for the love at first sight type but then again, Elizabeth Webber wasn't just any woman. It would take someone pretty special to tie Jason up in knots. Brenda knew she liked the younger woman the second she hurled the newspaper at Jason's head and stalked away with as much grace as a pregnant woman could possibly have.

Elizabeth was a fighter or at least that was what Brenda was counting on.

Jason was not a man prone to nervous gestures such as pacing the floor. At the moment however, he needed the reassurance of putting one foot in front of the other, the comforting sound of his boots on the tiled floor. As long as he was moving, he was okay. As soon as he stopped, he was very afraid he would breakdown.

Just on the other side of a curtain laid his … well, he didn't know what Elizabeth was to him. She was carrying his child. If they both made it, that is. He was very much afraid that he was in love with her. That was still something he had to figure out. To do so, however, required getting her to stay in the same room with him for more than five minutes.

Fear was not an emotion he enjoyed and the only time he could remember being this scared before, was when Tony Jones had kidnapped Robin and Michael. This was different though, he had a purpose then, to find them and bring them home. Right now, he could do nothing but wait.

Normally, he had all the patience in the world. He'd once thought he could wait until the end of the world and then some if he had too. Not now though. Now he wanted answers. He wanted to know if Elizabeth and the baby were going to be all right but no one was talking. Hell, he couldn't even get a nurse to make eye contact with him.

So he put one foot in front of the other, wearing a path in the dingy white tiled floor that had known many days and nights of anxious pacing from men just like him. Men who waited, wondering and praying for loved ones. Sometimes the news was good and sometimes bad.

He paused.

What if he lost them?

Elizabeth laid on her side one the bed, one hand protectively over her stomach and listened to the baby's heartbeat on the monitor. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her life.

She couldn't believe she fainted getting into the cab.

So much for her smooth getaway.

Since when had anything in her life ever gone smoothly, she wondered. Still she had been so close. So close. Just inches from getting the hell out of Dodge. All she wanted was a nice clean break – but no.

She blamed Carly Corinthos.

If she hadn't had to get into a verbal sparring match with that blond barracuda, she would have been long gone before Jason had shown up. Didn't these people know stress was bad for the baby?

As it was they were worried about her blood pressure. Little wonder considering the past two days had been nothing but one hassle after another. She has just found out the father of her baby was a mobster for crying out loud. That was enough to have anyone's blood pressure shooting through the roof.

She had also gotten a nice lecture from the doctor on the importance of eating regularly. Well excuse the hell out of her for being in a rush and not eating breakfast.

It has been quite a scared though, to wake up in the back of an ambulance with an EMT stooped over her taking her vitals. Her first thought was of her baby. She couldn't lose him, er, her, er, it. The baby was all she had in the world.

"Me and you kid," She whispered, "the two of us against the world."

The baby responded with a nice kick to her ribs and she smiled.

"Elizabeth," Dr. Ramsey's said quietly as he reentered the cubicle, clipboard in hand and kind look on his face.

"When can I get out of here?" Elizabeth asked with no preamble. The sooner they discharged her, the sooner she could disappear.

When Jason saw the doctor slip back through the curtain, he stopped and stared. He'd had about enough of this. He had given them more than enough time to figure out what was going on and by God; he wanted to know if Elizabeth and their child were alright. Come hell or high water he was going to find out.

Striding over to the cubicle, he ignored the nurse that tried to stop him and yanked the curtain back just in time to hear the doctor tell Elizabeth that if she didn't have anyone to stay with her tonight, she would just have to stay in the hospital.

"No way," Elizabeth responded shaking her head. "No way, am I staying here tonight."

Dr. Ramsey's shook his head. "It's standard procedure."

"I don't care."

Jason took comfort in the fact that Elizabeth was at least back in fighting form. If she was well enough to argue then there couldn't be anything seriously wrong. "She can come home with me," He heard himself saying without even being aware of the decision.

"Excuse me," Dr. Ramsey asked turning around to look at him. "Who are you?"

"I'll be slurping popsicles in hell before I go home with you," Elizabeth stated.

Jason ignored her and focused on the doctor. "I'm the father. Are they okay?"

The doctor smiled and didn't mention that his patient had evaded all questions about the father of her child. "Elizabeth and the baby are fine. Her blood pressure is elevated and it's something we want to keep an eye on but other than that everything looks good. I'll get the paper work started so you can take them home."

"You told me to avoid stress," Elizabeth reminded him. "He's nothing but stress."

Dr. Ramsey started to respond but Jason beat him to it. "It's either me or a night in here, take your pick," He told her gruffly.

Her lip quivered as she stuck it out in a pout. "Just go away."

Seeing that the young couple needed some time, Dr. Ramsey slipped out. You saw all sorts of people when you worked in the ER. If he wasn't mistaken, he had just met reputed mobster, Jason Morgan, and his very pregnant and unhappy girlfriend. The hospital gossip mill would have a field day with this one.

"I can't go away," Jason admitted as he stood over the bed glaring down at her.

Defensively, Elizabeth pulled the thin blanket up to her chin. "I'm fine. The doctor said I was fine."

"They want to watch your blood pressure. You fainted," He said, "that's not fine."

"I'm not going home with you," She retorted trying another track. "I won't be part of your harem."

"My harem?" He repeated with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, Brenda, Carly and whoever else you have waiting in the wings," Elizabeth clarified. "I've had enough of Carly for one day and even though Brenda seems nice, she's still your wife. Having your wife and – and the mother of your child living in the same apartment is not a good idea."

"Says who?" Brenda asked sticking her head in the little curtained room.

"Says me," Elizabeth replied putting a hand to her chest.

Brenda ignored the death ray glare Jason was sending her and shoved him aside so she could sit on the bed next to Elizabeth. "Listen, forget about Jason – I do."

"I don't think …"

"Then don't think," Brenda interrupted.

"Yeah, Brenda doesn't," Jason grumbled.

With an exaggerated sigh, Brenda said, "Look just stay for tonight."

Determined to stay as far away from Jason and his life, Elizabeth shook her head in refusal.

Having had enough, Jason said, "You're coming home with us and that's final."

Brenda looked over her shoulder at him with her mouth compressed in a tight little line. He was going to blow it. She just knew he was going to do something stupid and low and behold, there it was. You did not tell a woman like Elizabeth what to do. What was he, stupid?

No, just a typical male, she told herself.

"No, I'm not," Elizabeth said, tossing her hair back. "I'm going home and then first thing tomorrow morning, I am getting on the first bus out of here."

Not a fucking chance, he vowed. He would lock her in a safe house with round the clock medical supervision before he let her take off. She had almost gotten away and he was going to let her, not now though. Nope, this time he was going to do everything in his power to keep her right where she was - with him.

If her little fainting spell had proved anything to him, it was that she needed someone to look after her. That someone was going to be him whether she liked it or not.

When he'd seen her chalk-white face and limp body being loaded into the ambulance he had known that he had only been fooling himself. He told Brenda he wouldn't go after her. That he wouldn't try to stop her from leaving. It had been a lie though. He might have let her get in that taxi and board a bus bound for who knows where, but he would have gone to find her. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day or even the day after that but he would have had to find her eventually. His heart would not have let him do anything else.

"Get dressed," He ordered. "I'll go see about the paperwork.

A plastic pitcher just barely missed his head as he walked out of the room. Stopping he looked at the pink pitcher laying on the floor and then back over his shoulder at Elizabeth sitting up on the bed, eyes shooting sparks at him and knew without a doubt that she was going to be nothing but trouble.


	10. Chapter 10

**Flashfiction #150: Plans Change Part 10**

**Prompt: "You have to kiss a lot of Frogs, before you find a Prince" **

As she sat in the back of a limo with Jason and Brenda, Elizabeth tried to decide where her life had taken a wrong turn. It would be easy to assume that everything had gone to hell in a hand basket the night she went to Jake's for a drink and a game or two of pool and ended up in bed with Jason. After all, that night had resulted in her pregnancy but unlike her parents, she never considered a child a mistake. A baby was a gift and even though it might be an unexpected one, she would never regret having this baby.

No, she was pretty sure her dye had been cast from the moment she was born. Unwanted, unloved and forgotten by her parents. What was left after that? One mistake right after the other. One disappointment after another. What would Jeff and Julie Webber have to say about the mess she'd landed herself in this time?

"Do you have everything you need?" Jason asked breaking the oppressive silence in the car.

"I don't know what happened to my luggage," Elizabeth answered. It had already been loaded in the taxi when she passed out.

"They are already at the penthouse," He responded. "Francis got them."

"Francis?"

"He works for us."

Brenda rolled her eyes as she lounged against the soft leather of the seat. "Frannie is a bodyguard but don't hold that against him. He's a real sweetheart."

Jason covered his eyes with his hand and groaned. Things did not look good for them if one of their best guards was being described a sweetheart.

"I'd still like to go by my studio and get a few more things," Elizabeth announced. If she was going to be forced to stay with Jason and Brenda for a few days then she might as well be comfortable.

"Fine," Jason agreed as he tapped on the divider that was immediately lowered. "Take us to Miss Webber's apartment."

"Sure thing boss," the sandy haired driver replied with a grin as the divider went back up.

"But I didn't tell him where I lived," Elizabeth protested.

Brenda snickered and said, "Sweetie, they know where you live. They know everything about you right down to your shoe size."

Elizabeth looked at Jason but he met her gaze unflinchingly but neither confirmed nor denied the accusation. It shouldn't surprise her that Jason would want to know as much about her as possible but the invasion of her privacy, the thing she guarded most preciously, was something she couldn't abide by. It was all she had.

When they pulled into the parking lot of her building, Elizabeth didn't wait for the driver to come around to open her door. She threw the door open and got out with Jason and Brenda following closely behind. When she started up the stairs, Elizabeth heard Brenda stop at the bottom and complain about it being a walk up.

"The elevator has been out of service ever since I moved in," Elizabeth explained. "It's only two flights."

As they reached Elizabeth's apartment they found the door open and men packing all her things into boxes. Horrified, Elizabeth entered her rapidly empting studio and asked, "What in the hell is going on here?"

These men were not your ordinary movers, they were wearing suits and ties that probably cost more than a year of her rent. They stopped, however, when she started yelling. But when Jason came in behind her and gave them a hard look they all went back to work.

"They're packing your things up and moving them to the penthouse," Jason informed her, while Brenda stood in the door shaking her head.

"What!"

"You can't stay here," Jason told her unapologetically.

When one of the guys started to walk past her with a box of her things, Elizabeth stopped him and took it from him. "All of you stop doing what you are doing," She commanded but no one listened.

"They don't take orders from you."

"No," Elizabeth said, "they take orders from you. You are making them do this."

Seeing that she was getting upset, Brenda decided to intercede. The doctor said Elizabeth was supposed to avoid stress and this looked like stress to her. Approaching Elizabeth, she laid a hand on her arm and said, "Maybe you should just hear Jason out. There has to be a reason he is being a controlling idiot. Personally, I think he learned it from Sonny but then again, Jason has never had much tact."

"You can't do this," Elizabeth told him, sounding a little calmer. "You can't force me to move with you."

"I can," Jason smirked, "and I will."

Elizabeth ground her teeth together and had to fight the urge to smack him. No one told her what to do. No one. As was her custom, she resorted to sarcasm. "Well, I'd ask you and what army but being as I've already seen that you have an army I won't waste my time."

Brenda watched as Jason and Elizabeth engaged in a very childish staring contest. It was becoming more apparent with every passing minute that she was going to have her hands full with them. She thought it would be easy. She thought things were going to go her way when Elizabeth agreed to stay at the penthouse. That was after all, part of her plan. Get Elizabeth to live at the penthouse, spend a little time with Jason and see that he wasn't a total pain in the ass, then she would pack her bags and leave them to live happily ever after. Or something very similar at the very least.

"So, let's go home," Brenda said clapping her hands together.

**Harborview Towers: **

The guard Brenda introduced and Johnny, followed them up the stairs with the bags as the former model showed their new roommate her room. As she did she kept up a steady flow of conversation. "We are going to have to share a bathroom but we'll muddle through. I was going to move out but I thought that you might want me to stay, for a little while at least. Jax won't like it but on the plus side, it will drive Carly up the wall and I can't pass up that kind of opportunity."

Elizabeth managed a half-hearted smile as she sat down on the double bed that would now be hers. That is until she found a way to get out of Port Charles without Jason breathing down her neck. That man was proving to be more trouble than he was worth. Good looking but more trouble than she'd ever seen in her life.

"Where would you like these, Miss Webber?" Johnny asked.

Shrugging she said, "Wherever you put them, I guess."

"Over by the closet," Brenda answered with a flick of the wrist as she bustled about the room opening the blinds and getting the fresh flowers she had just had delivered to brighten up her room and transferring them to Elizabeth's so it would seem homier. Jason really needed a decorator; the guest rooms were more nondescript than even the cheapest of hotel rooms.

Elizabeth toed off her shoes and let Brenda take over; she was too tired to do anything else. Thankfully, Jason had stayed downstairs. She really wasn't in the mood to go another round with him today. Tomorrow, after she had gotten some sleep, they could go back to fighting.

"Do you ladies need anything else?" Johnny asked.

"No, we're good," Brenda answered.

"Thanks," Elizabeth added with a polite smile.

"No problem," He answered with a grin. "I'll out in the hall if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Johnny," Brenda called after him as he left the room. Turning to Elizabeth, she smiled and said, "I know it seems weird to have all these guys running around, watching you and asking you if you need anything but you get used to it."

"I don't think so," Elizabeth said doubtfully.

Shrugging, Brenda sat down beside her on the bed. "Jason's really not a bad guy. He's just … different."

"Yeah, sure, he's a real peach."

"You have to kiss a lot of Frogs, before you find a Prince," Brenda mused.

"And what's Jason; a prince or a frog?"

With a wink, Brenda replied, "That's for you to decide."


	11. Chapter 11

**Flashfiction #151: Plans Change Part 11**

**Prompt: I always fail to see the little things in front of me **

"Now if you'll just sign here," Justice Ward instructed.

Scribbling his name for what felt like the hundredth time, Jason patiently signed and initialed everywhere Justice indicated. While he did so, kept sneaking little glances over at Elizabeth, who was flipping through the channels on the TV looking for something decent to watch. She had her hair pulled up in messy ponytail and her face was free of the cosmetics she didn't need. Her tiny feet, encased in plain white socks, were up on the coffee table and she was dressed in baggy gray sweats and a loose pink t-shirt. In short, she was gorgeous.

And after two days of having her at the penthouse, she was driving him crazy.

It wasn't that they were fighting. You had to actually speak to someone to start a fight, he thought with a sigh. He was well aware that she was mad at him for forcing her to move in with him and Brenda. He just didn't care.

Oh, he cared that she was ignoring him. He just couldn't let himself care that he was trying to dictate someone else's life. It wasn't like him. Of course, it wasn't like him to get a virtual stranger pregnant either.

"Jason," Justice prodded when he saw his client uncharacteristically drifting off to his own little world.

"What?"

"Sign here," the lawyer pointed. "Last time okay?"

Nodding, Jason signed and then laid the gold pen down on the desk. Justice gathered up the annulment papers that had already been signed by both Jason and Brenda and put them in his briefcase. "I'll have these filed right away," He told his cousin.

"I appreciate you moving so quickly on this," Jason replied offering his hand, which Justice gladly shook.

Casting a look over at the pregnant woman lounging on the couch, he grinned, "I can understand the need to push this through as quickly as possible."

With a heavy sigh, he couldn't hold back, Jason gazed over at Elizabeth and wondered if it would even matter that he would no longer be married in a few weeks. If he couldn't get Elizabeth to even say two words to him then what did it matter if he was committed, if only in name, to another woman.

Seeing that Jason was preoccupied, Justice said, "I'll be in touch in a few days."

"Fine," He agreed and barely noticed when the other man left the penthouse. He had much more important things on his mind. Now that he had Elizabeth there, how exactly was he supposed to reach her? So close yet so far away.

The penthouse was silent except for the blare of an old black and white movie on the television. Brenda was out with Jax, who was not at all pleased to hear that even though his girlfriend was getting out of her sham of a marriage, she was going to continue to live with Jason. Jason could care less about what the Aussie playboy thought but he had heard Brenda complain to Elizabeth earlier about how controlling Jax had become these past few months and that troubled him. Carly was already raising hell with Sonny about Brenda still being across the hall, although, thankfully, she didn't know about Elizabeth moving in yet. The last thing Jason needed was Carly to antagonize either Brenda or Elizabeth. Most especially Elizabeth since she was supposed to avoid stress. Fortunately, Sonny had done him a favor and taken Carly to the city for the weekend.

"I'm going to go to the warehouse for a few hours," He told Elizabeth, who merely shrugged in disinterest. "Do you need anything before I go?"

"Johnny is outside if I do," She answered without bothering to look at him. Aware that she was behaving childishly she couldn't summon the energy to care. If he was going to treat her like a child, she might as well act like one.

Flinching at her response, Jason tried not to dwell on the fact that she would rather go to one of the guards than to him. This was harder than he ever imagined. Trying to convince the mother of his child to give him a chance and let him be part of their lives wasn't easy. He never thought it would be but he had figured he could at least get her to hear him out. That hadn't happened. He was not giving up though.

When the phone rang, Jason snatched up the receiver and barked out his usual greeting only to be met with Brenda's shaking voice. "Where are you?" He demanded. "No, Justice just left, but I'll call him and tell him to get down there," He replied.

Elizabeth couldn't help but be curious and watched Jason talk to whoever was calling with one hand on his hip and a scowl on his face. When he hung up she asked, "What's wrong?"

Tempted not to tell her, Jason knew she would only find out later and use it as another reason to be angry with him. "Brenda's been taken in for questioning in Luis Alcazar's murder. I have to get down to the PCPD." Grabbing his keys, he is surprised when Elizabeth gets up and announces that she is going with him.

"There isn't anything you can do," He told her.

"So what," She shrugged going to the closet and pulling out a long navy blue wool pea coat. "I can be there to show support for Brenda. That's something."

Without giving it much thought, Jason put the keys to his motorcycle back in the desk drawer and grabbed the ones for the SUV he had been driving as of late. "Fine, let's go."

**PCPD:**

With a pout, Brenda sat in an uncomfortable metal chair in the interrogation room, glaring at the chipped pink polish on her nails. She needed a manicure in the worst way but felt silly for thinking about something so trivial when she was about to be questioned in the murder of her ex-boyfriend.

Jason would be proud of her though, she had not said one word since she had demanded her lawyer. She didn't quite have that robotic stare down yet but she could pout with the best of them and she had plenty to sulk about too. As if it wasn't bad enough that Taggert had shown up at The Grille and publicly announced that she was a suspect in Luis's murder but Jax had thrown a fit when she refused his offer to get her a lawyer because she would rather use Sonny's attorney. Honestly, she didn't know what the big deal was. Justice was quite accustomed to being called down to the police department at all hours of the day and night to get his clients out of whatever mess they'd landed themselves in. She figured she would be outta there in the matter of minutes.

If Jax wanted to fuss and fume about her continued association with Corinthos and Morgan, as he so lovingly referred to them, then that was fine with her. She was getting pretty tired of him trying to boss her around. What was it with the men in her life always trying to tell her what to do, when to do it and how it was supposed to be done? Well, she'd had about enough of it and from now on she was going to do things her way.

Jerking her head up when the door opened, Brenda actually smiled when she saw it was Justice and caught a glimpse of Jason and Elizabeth standing in the squad room. Even if Jax and Jason were locked in a some chest-pounding show of male dominance otherwise known as a staring contest, she was glad to see her soon to be ex-husband. Elizabeth was a surprising addition and she was sort of sorry to miss the stir Jason showing up with a very pregnant young woman would cause, she was happy to see her new friend was there in a sign of solidarity.

Justice gave her a friendly, not to mention confident, grin as he laid his briefcase down on the table. "I'll have you out of here in no time. Don't worry," He told her.

"I'm not worried," She replied with the flick of a hand. "I have an alibi."

"Yeah, we'll just see about that," Taggert said entering the room just in time to hear the tail end of their brief exchange.

Scott Baldwin was right behind him and practically bouncing in glee at having brought in someone as high profile as Brenda Barrett-Morgan in conjunction to the Alcazar case. Even if she didn't have anything to do with the murder the press would still have a field day speculating about a former supermodel pushing her ex-boyfriend off a balcony. It was such a soap opera-ish moment and the reporters just ate that stuff up.

"Looks like your hubby has already found your replacement," Scott taunted as he closed the door once more.

"Keep your comments to yourself Baldwin or I'll file harassment charges against you," Justice threatened blandly. As far as he was concerned, the current DA was a whole lot of hot air and very little substance.

"Touchy aren't we, probably because you know your client is guilty as sin and looking at spending the rest of her years rotting in a cell in Sing-Sing. Pity it wasn't her husband or his boss but we'll take it," Scott replied rocking back on his heels, already patting himself on his back as he imagined the feather in his cap this win would provide.

Even Taggert couldn't help but roll his eyes at the District Attorney. "Let's just get this over with," He said opening the file he was holding. "Where were you on the night Luis Ramon Alcazar died?"

With a smug little smile, Brenda answered, "With my boyfriend, Jasper Jacks, at Harborview Towers."

Scott stopped his preening and Taggert raised an eyebrow. "You were with Jax at the home you share with your husband?"

"Soon to be ex-husband," She corrected. "Don't tell me any of you actually bought my marriage to Jason? Come on Marcus, I expected more from you."

Scott jumped in and asked, "I suppose Mr. Jacks will verify your story?"

"Of course, I believe he's right outside. Go ask him yourself."

Puffing up like a jellyfish, Scott said, "You know if anyone had a motive to kill Alcazar it was you. He did keep you drugged and locked up for three years while everyone you cared about thought you were dead. What's to say you didn't get your dander up and pay your dearly departed ex a little visit that night? You argued, things got a little physical and you shoved him off the balcony. Maybe you didn't even mean to do it. It was an accident."

"Pure speculation," Justice snorted.

Shrugging, Brenda said, "Yeah, I had a reason to be mad at Luis but I didn't kill him. I couldn't, I was at home with Jax."

"We'll just see about that," Scott snapped.

Rolling her eyes, Brenda turned back to Taggert and asked, "Can I go now?"

Closing the file, Taggert shrugged, he knew that Brenda was a long-shot as suspects went, he doubted she could push a man Alcazar's size if she wanted to, but it was his job to examine all the angles. "Don't leave town, we might have questions later."

"And you'll call me if you wish to speak with my client again," Justice stated as he held Brenda's chair as she stood and then followed her out the door.

"You can't just let her walk out of here," Scott yelled.

"Don't have anything to hold her on," Taggert responded knowing Jax would back up her story.

Brenda approached Jason and Elizabeth with a tremulous smile, completely ignoring Jax. "Thanks for coming down," She said laying her hand on Jason's arm for a minute. He nodded in acknowledgment and then went to speak with Justice.

"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked hugging the older woman.

Returning the embrace, Brenda said, "Of course I am. They ruined my lunch and I didn't get my desert but otherwise I'm fine."

"We'll stop at the bakery on the way back to the penthouse," Elizabeth offered with a grin. Something chocolate sounded pretty good right now.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Brenda replied draping an arm around Elizabeth shoulders and leading her over to where Jason and Justice were speaking quietly but intently near the doors. "Hey boys, let's get out of here before they decide to throw Jason in a cell just because he's here and they need some entertainment."

Justice chuckled and said, "Good idea, let's not tempt fate."

The SUV was parked at the curb and already had a parking ticket tucked under the windshield wiper but Jason just shoved it in his pocket before getting behind the wheel. Beside him, Elizabeth had her hands resting on her rounded stomach as the baby seemed to be doing cartwheels, which felt a little odd but not unpleasant at all.

"Elizabeth and I are in the mood for something sweet and very fattening," Brenda announced as she fastened her seatbelt. "The bakery on 5th _is_ on the way home."

Jason cast a look over at Elizabeth, who was sitting back in her seat with a little smile on her lips and her delicate hands over her stomach. He knew the baby must be moving and the corner of his mouth hooked up in a half-smile. "The bakery on 5th?" He repeated distractedly.

Seeing where his attention lay, Brenda couldn't help but smile herself. "That's the one," She answered but her mind wasn't on food any longer, she was curious whether Jason knew he was already in love with the mother of his child and if Elizabeth would ever quit pushing him away long enough to see it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Flashfiction #152: Plans Change Part 12**

**Prompt: Midnight Caller **

When Jason got off the elevator carrying no less than three vivid pink bakery boxes, Francis couldn't help but raise a eyebrow, but when Brenda and a petite brunette who he figured to be Elizabeth Webber it started to make some sense. Jason didn't have a sweet tooth. Hell, he barely remembered to eat most of the time but with Brenda a known chocoholic and a very pregnant girlfriend; Francis figured it was about time Jason's refrigerator actually contained more than beer and mustard.

Without saying a word, it wasn't his place to say anything after all, Francis opened the door with a nod in greeting to the ladies.

"Brenda, take these," Jason said handing over the boxes and then turned back to the guard. "I need a word."

Without even the slightest sign of interest, Francis entered the penthouse and closed the door behind him. He figured Jason was going to clue him in one why he was on door duty when he had left behind that particular chore several years ago. He had been in the business for over half of his life and had more than proven himself to his bosses. Guarding doors wasn't something he had done in a very long time and to do so now was somewhat of a demotion. A demotion he didn't understand.

"Um, Elizabeth," Jason said as she was about to go up the stairs.

"Hmm?" She asked turning around to look at him. She sent Francis a tiny smile and waited to see what Jason wanted.

If Jason was surprised that she wasn't fighting him for once he didn't show it. He ran his hand over his mouth and then let it drop to his side. "I want you to meet Francis – your bodyguard."

Surprise was written all over her face and she didn't bother to hide it as her eyes darted back and forth between the two men. "My _bodyguard_? I need a bodyguard?"

"Yeah."

She wasn't going to ask why, she had a pretty good idea why and she would rather not discuss it. It made it more real if they actually talked about it. It didn't matter anyhow, once she popped out the kid she and Jason would go their separate ways.

"Miss Webber," Francis greeted with a nod and what passed for a smile, but looked more like a grimace.

"It's Elizabeth," She corrected.

She was ignored.

"Anywhere you go, Francis goes," Jason informed her. "You want to go to the grocery store, Kelly's or the mall, you tell Francis and he'll take you. You go nowhere without him."

"What about you?" She asked with a slight frown. And here she thought he had moved her in so that he could be part of the baby's life and before the baby was even born he was passing her off to someone else.

"You need me you call me," Jason responded a little surprised she would even ask about him. So far, Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with him. He was probably lucky she was talking to him now. "If you can't reach me then Francis will."

Giving Francis, her new best friend it would appear, a cursory going over, Elizabeth decided he looked like a decent sort of guy. He was older. Older than Jason with graying brown hair and moss green eyes, Francis had a square jaw and a nose that had been broken more than once. He had broad shoulders that looked more than a mile wide in his tailored gray suit.

"Whatever you need Miss Webber, just say the word," Francis told her with a reassuring incline of the head.

"Elizabeth," She corrected once more. "My name is Elizabeth. I'd prefer it if that's what you called me."

"'Fraid not, Miss Webber."

Narrowing her eyes, Elizabeth lifted her chin in defiance. "I'm pregnant with his kid," She said pointing at Jason, "I'm hormonal and I have put up with a lot these past few days. Now, you can make this easy on both of us if you'll do this one little thing. Call me Elizabeth, Liz or Beth; any of the three will work. Call me Lizzie and I'll rip your tongue out."

When both of Francis's eyebrows shot up in surprise or amusement, it was hard to tell which; Jason ran is hand over his mouth to hide a smile. It was nice to see that he wasn't the only one she gave a hard time.

"So what's it going to be?" She demanded.

The guard looked to Jason for some sort of indication what he was supposed to do and all Jason gave him was a careless shrug. Sighing, Francis said, "I'll be out in the hall if you need anything, Elizabeth."

"Thank you, Francis," Elizabeth beamed. "Would you care for a danish? We picked up an assortment at the bakery."

"No, thanks," He replied as he went out the door.

Alone once more, Jason and Elizabeth were left standing together staring at each other not knowing what to say. Jason shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor. Elizabeth laid her hands on her stomach and sighed as she looked at a spot just over his shoulder.

That was exactly how Brenda found them moments later as she came out of the kitchen with a chocolate donut in her hand. Rolling her eyes, she breezed past them and started up the stairs. When she reached the landing, she turned around and said, "You know it wouldn't kill either one of you to talk to the other. I mean you might as well, you've already seen each other naked. After that, what else is there?"

Talking to Jason was something she really didn't want to do and being alone with him was definitely not something she wanted. Well aware that he could be charming in his own quirky way, Elizabeth didn't want to put herself in the place to fall victim to it once more. The last time she had wound up pregnant.

"Don't you want to stay down here and order some dinner?" Elizabeth asked desperate to keep Brenda as a buffer.

Laughing, Brenda said, "We just ate half a chocolate cake between us and now I'm having donuts – I think I spoiled my appetite for dinner."

Elizabeth didn't stop her as Brenda continued up the stairs. She wasn't hungry either. Actually, she was a little nauseous from all the junk she'd already consumed. No wonder she it looked like she'd swallowed a beach ball. "So," She said lifting and then dropping her arms back to her sides.

"There are some things we need to go over," Jason said rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"You mean like me having a bodyguard?"

Sighing heavily, Jason knew that he couldn't avoid the subject any longer. "My life is … dangerous. There are people out there that wouldn't think twice about using you or the baby to get to me and I can't let that happen. I also can't watch over you twenty-four hours a day. Francis is the best man we've got. I trust him with my life and now I trust him with yours. I probably should have talked to you about this sooner."

"I haven't exactly been receptive."

Nodding in acceptance, Jason said, "I didn't help matter much. I didn't – I shouldn't have just forced you to move in here. I just …"

"You just what?" She prodded.

"When you fainted I was …"

"Scared," Elizabeth finished for him when he trailed off. "I was scared too when I woke up in the hospital."

"I was going to let you leave," He admitted even though it still hurt for him to think about it. "But when I thought I'd almost lost you – lost you both – I knew I couldn't let you go. I had to know that you would be okay."

Averting her gaze, Elizabeth tucked her hair behind her ear. "I was trying to give you a way out."

"I don't want out," He growled, angry that she would even think something like that. "I've already missed so much. I want you here so that I won't miss anything else."

"Jason, do you hear yourself? We aren't some couple that dated for months or even years. Hell, we have never even been on a date. We don't know each other and you moved me in here like it was no big deal and all because I got pregnant on the first night we met."

"So what, you want to go on a date?" He asked densely.

She laughed. She couldn't help but laugh. "I think we are passed the first date stage Jason, I'm carrying your child."

"Then what do you want?"

Blowing her bangs out of her eyes, she laid her hands back on her stomach. "That's a loaded question."

"Why?"

Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, "Because I don't know what I want anymore. When I found out I was pregnant everything changed. I had plans and dreams and now I'm having a baby."

Shrugging, Jason summed things up in a few short words. "Plans change."

"Tell me about it," She agreed with a short laugh.

They were actually having a conversation. A civil conversation at that, he couldn't believe it. It was nice; he discovered not to argue with her for once. He didn't want it to end. "I don't really think about tomorrow and yesterday is yesterday. You can't turn back time, and you can't see into the future, all you can do is just focus on what's happening today, what's happening right now."

It amused her but didn't surprise her that he was one of those people who lived in the now. She wished she could figure out how to do that. She tended to hold onto the past and spend too much time worrying about the future to even think about the present. It was a good way to drive yourself crazy she knew. Maybe Jason was onto something. It was worth a try anyhow.

"So, what is going on right now?" She asked.

"Right now, I'm just trying to get you to agree to stay," He admitted with a boyish half-smile.

"For how long?"

"I – until the baby is born and afterwards we'll figure something out. I want to be part of my child's life."

"I kinda figured that one out for myself," She responded with a smile.

"So will you stay?"

Even though she had a bad feeling about it, she knew that it was probably best for the baby if she did. If she didn't Jason would probably send an army of guards to watch over her and drive her insane. He would dog his her steps until the baby was born and probably afterwards as well. It really would be easier on her if she just gave in. For now anyhow.

"I'll stay until the baby is born," She finally agreed.

Letting out the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, Jason smiled, the first genuine one he had managed in days, maybe since the night he'd met her at Jake's. "Okay," He replied knowing better to question his good fortune or press his luck. "There are a couple of things you should know."

"More than having Francis as my shadow?" She asked with a smirk.

He ignored the jab and bent down to open the bottom desk drawer. "I keep some money in here, take what you need. I already had Benny put your name on all my accounts; you'll have credit cards and everything else in a couple of days. Anything else you need, just ask."

"I can't take your money!" She exclaimed in alarm.

"Why not?" He asked truly confused.

"Because I always pay my own way. I'll get my job back at Kelly's and I do have money saved."

"That's something else I wanted to talk to you about," He said scratching his cheek.

"What now?" She asked with sense of foreboding.

"I don't want you to work until after the baby is born. Even then, you don't have to go back if you don't want. I'll take care of you both so you don't need to worry about money – ever again."

Her eyes were as big as dinner plates. "Okay, slow down," She said reaching out and laying hand on his arm. "I can understand the part about not working until the baby is born, I don't happen to agree with it but we can argue about that later. You are obviously paranoid and after my little hospital visit I can't blame you but I am not going to become financially dependent on you. I told you I pay my own way. I've been doing it for years; most of my life in fact. If you want to help support our child, notice I said i_help_/i there, then I won't stop you. I'm not taking your money though."

He shrugged and said, "I can't do a whole lot for you. I can't carry this baby and I can't give birth to it but I can support you. I've got more money than I will ever need. Let me do what I can for you."

"It's a sweet thought," Elizabeth admitted. "But it's an offer I can't accept. We don't know each other well Jason, but I already know a few things about you and you are a proud man. Well, so am I. Proud I mean, not a man. I can't take money I didn't earn. And so help me if you say that I earned it by having your baby, I will murder you in your sleep."

"Remind me to keep all the kitchen knives locked up."

Baffled she asked, "Was that a joke? Brenda says you don't joke."

"Brenda doesn't know everything about me."

"Apparently not."

"Listen, if you agree to not go back to work until the baby is born and let me take care of you in the meantime, we'll figure everything else out later."

It was a reasonable request, she told herself. Besides, the prospect of spending hours on her feet everyday did not sound too appealing at the moment. "Okay."

"Okay," He replied pleased that they seemed to be getting somewhere. He didn't know where exactly but it was progress nevertheless.

"Please tell me we are done for the day," She sighed rubbing her temples. "I'm worn out."

"You should go to bed," He replied.

Elizabeth was about to respond when the door opened and Carly came in holding a blue gift bag. "Jason, wait until I see what we got you in the city. You are going to love it. Michael even helped pick it out and he was so cute when we were in the store, you should have ..." Carly froze when she saw Elizabeth standing beside Jason. "I thought you were leaving."

"Me and you both," Elizabeth replied drolly. "Goodnight Jason," She said patting him on the shoulder as she silently wished him good luck with his visitor and then went up the stairs.

Jason saw the head of steam growing and decided to nip in the bud straightaway. "Don't start Carly."

"What is she still doing here?" She demanded clearly ignoring him.

"She's lives here."

"WHAT!"

The corners of his mouth twitched as he wondered if Carly knew her eyes looked like they were about to pop out and her round open mouth made her look like a fish. Not surprisingly, he was in a good mood and not even Carly could ruin it. He took the bag from her and set it on the desk. "Thanks for the present, I'll open it later. You should go home, I'm sure you had a long day."

"Don't let her do this to you," Carly hissed as he guided her out the door. "Don't let that little tramp get her claws into you and ruin your life. She will Jason, you know she will."

Jason took a tiny amount of pleasure of shutting the door in her face and then locking the door. He could still hear her yelling through the door as he went upstairs.

The penthouse was quiet when Brenda woke up with her stomach aching and her head pounding. "Sugar hangover," She moaned as she got out of bed and then cursed when she stumbled over a stray shoe.

Making her way to the door, she wrenched it open and then felt her way downstairs in the dark, only running into one wall and stubbing her toe twice. She needed a huge glass of water and a few antacids to settle her stomach, she told herself.

She almost made it to the kitchen when there was a knock at the door. Screwing her face up, Brenda stomped her foot and squinted her eyes to see the clock on the microwave to find that it was midnight. Turning around, grumbling about rude people who showed up in the middle of the night she went to answer the door before it woke up Elizabeth.

If her hair was sticking up twenty different directions and she had pillow creases on her face she didn't give a damn. She hoped it scared away whoever was fool enough to bother her when her tummy hurt and her warm bed was waiting for her.

Unlocking and then yanking the door open, Brenda mumbled an almost inaudible, "What'd ya want?" before getting a good look at the man standing in the hall and letting out a blood-curdling scream.

No, she thought. No, Luis was dead. He couldn't be at her door at midnight, he was locked in some cold metal drawer in the morgue. Luis couldn't hurt her anymore. He was dead. He was dead – and yet there he was standing right in front of her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Flashfiction #153: Plans Change Part 13**

**Prompt: Speeding motorcycle, the road is ours **

Simultaneously their bedroom doors opened and both Jason and Elizabeth came out into the hall almost colliding in their rush to find out what was going on. A piercing scream had woken them both up and forced them out of their respective beds.

"What's going on?" She asked brushing her hair out of her face.

"I don't know," Jason answered as he pulled a black t-shirt on. "Stay up here while I go find out."

"But …"

"Stay up here," He commanded and it was then that she saw the glint of metal in his hand and realized that he had a gun.

"Fine," She agreed as he started down the stairs. "Be careful," She whispered after him on impulse and was rewarded with a curt nod.

The heavy weight of the 9 mm in his hand was comforting even if there was an uncomfortable knot in his stomach as he silently made his way down the steps keeping his back to the wall.

"N-no. No!" Brenda shouted as she collected herself and attempted to slam the door on her dead ex-boyfriend.

"You're dead," She informed the ghost even as his very solid foot prevented the door from closing.

"Ms. Morgan," the apparition dressed all in black said.

"NO!" She screamed once more and threw her whole weight against the door.

He braced his arm on the door and Brenda found herself sliding back. Even in death, Luis was too strong for her, too smart and far too dangerous. Tears of fear burned in her eyes, blurring her vision as hysteria rose in her throat.

Oh God, she thought, he'd come to kill me.

Not knowing what else to do, she ran.

Jason, her brain screamed, go get Jason. Her steps faltered though as she put her foot on the first stair. Elizabeth was upstairs too. She couldn't put Elizabeth in danger. No, she reassured herself, Jason would not let anything happen to Elizabeth.

Resolved, she started to charge up the stairs but ran into something or someone as she neared the landing. Her panicked chocolate brown eyes met Jason's steely gaze in the dark and she sagged against him.

"Brenda?" He asked, his voice a low whisper.

"I-it's Luis," She said, her voice breaking. "H-he's come to take me away again."

"Luis is dead," Jason assured her. "He's dead. He can't hurt you."

"No," She replied shaking her head vehemently. "He's down there. I saw him, Jason. I didn't imagine it. He's alive."

"Go upstairs."

For once in her life, Brenda didn't argue. She stumbled up the stairs, her hand on the wall to guide her as her whole body shook in horror. When she reached the top, Elizabeth was waiting and Brenda let herself be gathered in her friends waiting arms like a frightened child just awakened from a bad dream. Except Brenda knew this wasn't a mere nightmare, this was real.

Worried about Brenda's frame of mind, Jason continued cautiously down the last few steps. He had seen Luis's body lying motionless and cold in the morgue. He knew the man was dead, but even if he thought Brenda was a flake on her best days, he wasn't going to take any chances. People had a habit of not staying dead in Port Charles.

At the foot of the stairs, Jason came face to face with Brenda's ghost, only this was no ghost. Oh, he looked enough like Luis to actually be the arms dealer risen from the dead but Jason knew better.

"Morgan."

"Lorenzo," Jason returned. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

The South American never got the chance to answer as Sonny burst into the room in his dark red satin pajamas, gun drawn. "Jason, what the fuck is going on around here?"

Shaking his head, Jason lowered his gun and walked across the room, shoving Sonny aside, to flick on the lights. When the room was filled with light and everyone's eyes had adjusted Sonny looked suspiciously like he was looking at a ghost. To prevent any further meltdowns Jason said, "This is Lorenzo Alcazar. Luis's brother."

Lowering his gun but keeping it at the ready, Sonny ran his eyes over the man who looked so much like the psycho that had kept Brenda from him for all those years. He disliked him immediately and not just because of the family resemblance. "What do you want?"

Lorenzo's blue eyes hardened as he regarded the man he suspected to have murdered his brother and said, "I came to see my brother's girlfriend."

"More like his prisoner," Sonny responded with a sneer.

Jason sighed heavily. The last thing he needed was for Sonny and Lorenzo to get into some pissing contest to find out who was the bigger bad ass. As it was he had two scared women upstairs, he didn't need to deal with one of Sonny's temper tantrums.

"Jason?" Elizabeth called down the stairs.

"Everything's fine," He responded. About to tell her to go back to bed, he didn't get the chance when she appeared on the landing.

"What's going on?" She inquired in a way the said she was not going to be satisfied with the verbal equivalent of a pat on the head.

"It is not Luis Alcazar's ghost," He said going to stand at the foot of the stairs and with any luck, block her from Lorenzo's view. He had hoped to keep any enemies or potential ones from finding out about her for a while. Being pregnant made her an easy target and an effective one.

"Brenda's really upset," Elizabeth informed him. "She's locked herself in the bathroom and won't even open the door for me."

Hearing what was going on, Sonny shouldered past Jason, stopping to say over his shoulder, "I'll see to Brenda. You take care of him."

Elizabeth let Sonny pass without comment and looked at Jason expectantly, waiting for him to give her some sign as to what she was supposed to do. It was clear telling her to go back to bed wasn't going to work and in fact, would probably only start a fight. A fight he really didn't want to engage in after the small step they had taken towards at least trying to get along earlier.

"I'll be up in a minute," He told her with a reassuring nod.

"O-kay," She agreed slowly as if she didn't quite believe him but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for once.

Jason took it as a good sign.

Standing in Brenda's bedroom, Sonny knocked on the bathroom door once more and tried to coax his ex into opening the door or at the very least, answering him. "Brenda, its Sonny. Open the door."

Nothing.

He knocked a little harder, just shy of pounding and said, "Everything is okay. You can come out."

Nada.

"That wasn't Luis or his ghost. If you'll come out I'll explain."

Zilch.

"Damn it Brenda, open the damn door."

Not a sound.

Pounding now, Sonny yelled, "Quit being a drama queen and unlock this door before I break the fucking thing down."

Startled when he heard the lock turning, he stepped back. "About time," Sonny growled and then took another step back in surprise when Elizabeth stuck her head out.

"Um, hi," She said shyly. "When I came back upstairs Brenda was in my room. There's a connecting door."

Running a hand through his hair, Sonny nodded and said, "I see." Leave it to Brenda was all he could think. "Is she okay?"

"Define okay," Elizabeth replied opening the door wider so he could go find out for himself.

Brenda was sitting on Elizabeth's bed, her knees pulled up to her chest and head resting on them. When she heard them come back into the room and lifted her head. "Luis is dead."

"Yes," Sonny answered.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth went and sat on the edge of the bed beside Brenda and put her arm around her in a silent show of support and camaraderie. Feeling a little steadier, Brenda managed a slight smile for her friend before turning her attention back to Sonny. "Then who in the hell was that down there?"

"Lorenzo Alcazar," Sonny answered with a frown. "Jason's taking care of it."

"Taking care of it like he's fitting him with cement shoes or taking care of it like he's showing Luis's doppelganger the door?" Brenda asked forgetting that Elizabeth was new to all of this.

"He'll use his discretion," Sonny answered vaguely with a pointed look at Elizabeth. He managed a smile, sans dimples, for the young woman that his best friend had brought into all their lives.

"What does he want?" Brenda asked referring to Lorenzo.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it matters," She snapped clearly regaining some of her fire.

"I don't know what he wants," Sonny answered honestly. "You, neither of you, need to worry about that. Jason and I will handle it."

Both women gave him skeptical looks and he suddenly felt outnumbered as well as outgunned. He didn't know how Jason could stand living with both of them. Add in Carly across the hall and Sonny was pretty sure Jason was a glutton for punishment.

Jason chose that moment to come in and Elizabeth immediately got to her feet, her eyes wide with concern and a brittle smile on her lips as she fought for some semblance of control. Sonny saw that Jason's eyes sought her out and the tense set of the younger man's shoulders relaxed a bit as he saw that she was alright.

"He's gone," Jason informed Brenda as he forcibly ripped his gaze from Elizabeth.

Brenda nodded still consumed with fear that just wouldn't subside to notice the silent little exchange between the two people she so desperately wanted to push together. Sonny, however, caught it all and couldn't help but smile a little. Maybe Jason would finally be getting a family of his own.

"Can I talk to you downstairs?" Jason asked the older man. When Sonny nodded his consent, Jason let his eyes pass over Elizabeth and Brenda, lingering on Elizabeth for a moment longer than he intended. "Francis is on the door now. I might have to go out for awhile. If it makes you feel better Francis can come in and sit downstairs."

"We're fine," Elizabeth answered as Brenda slumped back against the headboard without a word.

With one last long look, Jason left the room and went downstairs to speak with Sonny.

"_Where was the night guard?" Sonny demanded._

"_Getting coffee," Jason answered with a slight shake of his head. _

"_Who?"_

"_The new kid; Bobby."_

"_He's gone."_

_Jason nodded in agreement. It might be human nature to make mistakes but in their lives, mistakes got you killed. Right now Jason knew that he had more to lose than ever before and he couldn't take any unnecessary chances. _

Barreling down the deserted highway on his motorcycle, the speedometer hovering somewhere between sixty-five and seventy, well above the legal limit, Jason tried to clear his head and keep his mind on the matter at hand.

He had to find out what Lorenzo was doing in town, other than trying to find his brother's killer and figure out just how that would affect them. Port Charles was their town, no one got to walk in and fuck with their town or the people in it.

Right now, his job was to observe and gather as much information. Pushing Elizabeth out of his mind was a must but proving to be impossible as he kept seeing her midnight blue eyes, unease and apprehension swirling in them, clearly worried about him, in his minds eye.

The knowledge that he would do anything to protect her and their unborn child freshly resolved in his head. Anything, he swore to himself.


	14. Chapter 14

**Flashfiction #154: Plans Change Part 14**

**Prompt: Figured You Out **

Humming while she filed her nails, Brenda's attention alternated between her fingernails and the television where she was watching some mindless soap opera with sub-par acting and even worse writing. She hadn't seen the show in years and was having trouble recognizing the characters that had either been recast or changed so much they were no longer the people she had spent many an afternoon with. "Escapism – don't make me laugh," She snorted. "More like torture." And if she was smart she'd change the channel but for some reason she couldn't.

With Jason and Elizabeth at GH for a doctor's appointment and her avoidance of Jax, she was bored and in need of entertainment. She wasn't even allowed to go down to the lobby by herself to get the mail since Lorenzo Alcazar had shown up and scared the living daylights out of her. Johnny was sticking to her like glue and as much as she liked Johnny, she didn't want him dogging her every step. Elizabeth was experiencing the same thing with Francis but instead of letting it bother her, Elizabeth was making friends with the rather somber older man.

Brenda smiled thinking of Elizabeth dragging Francis through the baby department of Wyndam's just yesterday, asking his advice on everything from cribs to breast pumps. The poor man had turned twelve different shades of red and promptly found a sales girl. Later they had come home with both Johnny and Francis loaded down with a mountain of packages, which Jason hadn't even batted an eye at.

She was pleased to report that things between Jason and Elizabeth were going quite well. They weren't exactly best friends or acting like lovebirds but Brenda still had hope. They weren't fighting to the death over every little thing and Elizabeth had even smiled at him once or twice. Of course, they went nowhere and did nothing without someone there to at as a buffer. If it wasn't Brenda, it was one of the guards. And if Brenda even tried to mention moving out, Elizabeth went into total meltdown mode.

It was just as well, she thought. She was not in any hurry to move out and either into her own place or in with Jax. Neither was very appealing. She didn't want to be alone but she wasn't ready to become seriously involved with Jax either.

He was already pitching marriage and she wasn't buying.

Part of her still loved Jax and knew that she always would. She felt the same way for Sonny. Those feelings would not go away, not for either man.

After her experience with Luis though, she felt like her in-name-only marriage to Jason was a balm to the senses. He didn't expect anything from her. Hell, he couldn't tolerate her half the time. Actually, with Elizabeth around she had quit purposely picking fights with him, he had enough problems on is hands with Elizabeth, they had sort of started getting along. They weren't best buds but she was pretty sure Jason might like her just a tiny bit.

Besides, she figured she owed it to Jason to give him a hand with his love life since he had married her with the promise he would take care of her. It had been a selfless thing to do for someone you could barely stand to be in the same room with. Oh, she knew he had his reasons for doing it but it was still a nice thing to do. It was amusing to watch Jason in love though. He may not know it or even appreciate it, but she was pulling for him.

"No, I do not need you to announce me."

Brenda winced as she heard Jax's angry voice out in the hall and couldn't help but look around for the best escape route when the door opened. How horrible was it that she did not want to see one of the men she loved?

Pasting a smile on her face, Brenda got up and met Jax with a kiss on the cheek. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"You might if you'd return my calls," He responded with a dark look. Shaking his head, Jax said, "Doesn't matter. Go pack."

"Pack? Why?" She asked blinking in confusion. "Don't tell me you are taking me on a surprise vacation," She guessed feeling excited at the prospect. If there was one thing she loved about Jax, it was his sense of adventure and spontaneity.

"No, I'm getting you out of here before Corinthos and Morgan can get you killed."

Shoulders slumping, Brenda sighed heavily. "I guess you heard Luis's brother is in town."

"Yes, I would have preferred to hear it from my girlfriend instead of having the man himself show up on my doorstep. For heaven's sake Brenda, for a minute I thought he was Luis risen from the dead."

"You weren't the only one," She murmured thinking about her reaction to seeing Lorenzo for the first time. "What did he want?"

"What do you think he wants?" Jax demanded placing his hands on her shoulders. "He wants to find the person responsible for his brother's death and exercise his own brand of justice. Guess who is at the top of his list?"

She didn't need to guess. Her name probably shared the top spot with Jason and Sonny's. It wouldn't matter to a man like Lorenzo that the police had cleared them. Sonny's organization was quite large and he could have commanded any number of men to carry out the order. She didn't think he was responsible though. She'd seen the momentary flicker of surprise in his eyes when he found out that Luis was dead. That was all she needed.

"Now, let's get your things," Jax said steering her towards the stairs.

Struggling out of his hold, Brenda shot him a contemptuous look and said, "I am not going anywhere. This is the safest place I could possibly be right now."

Jax snorted in derision, which only made her more determined than ever to stay. "I have my own personal guard twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and travel in a bulletproof limo whenever I do go out. I'm beyond safe."

"Did any of that stop Lorenzo from waltzing in here the other night?"

"Jason won't let anything happen to me," Brenda responded with a scowl. She knew that the guard that had been posted on the door that night had been relieved of his duty and … well, she wasn't sure what had happened to him and she wasn't asking.

"What you really mean is that Corinthos won't let anything happen to you. That's what this is really all about, isn't it? You don't want to leave Sonny."

"How many times am I going to have to tell you that I am not staying her because of Sonny?"

"Well, you can't tell me you've actually fallen for Morgan. He's already got a full plate with that pregnant waitress."

"Has it even crossed your mind that I might want to stay here for some other reason than a man? Is it so hard to understand that I want to stay here because Elizabeth asked me to?"

"I'm sure Elizabeth can take care of herself."

"Yes, she can," Brenda agreed, "but she's going through a lot right now and she says my being here helps."

"You just met the girl!"

"So what? She's my friend and in case you haven't noticed, I don't have many of those. With Robin and Lois gone I don't have anyone anymore."

"You have me. That used to be enough."

The hurt in his eyes and tone had the uncomfortable feeling of guilt wash over her. Maybe it was selfish of her to refuse to move out of Jason's when she knew how much Jax despised anything and anyone associated with Sonny. She was well aware that she was a selfish person and that usually didn't bother her very much. Feeling herself weakening, Brenda found herself unable to meet his eyes.

Elizabeth would understand if she moved out, Brenda knew. She also knew that Jason would screw things up if she wasn't there constantly sticking her nose in his business. Besides all that though, she didn't want to move out. It seemed like a good idea to be on her own but not alone at the moment. It was also really nice to be needed. Elizabeth needed a friend just as much as she did.

"You know that I love you Jax," Brenda replied laying a hand on his chest. "I just think that with everything that has happened since I came back, that we both need a little time."

"Time for what? I love you Brenda, I always have and always will."

Tears burnt the back of her throat at his words. How many times over the past few years had she longed to hear him say those words to her just once more? She had given up on it happening and now there she was by some miracle with him again. Even so, her feelings were all confused and to go with him and pretend everything was fine would be a mistake.

"Jax, your divorce from Skye isn't even final yet. Don't you think you should take a little time before rushing into something new?"

"This is not new," He protested. "Brenda, I have been waiting for you to come back since the day you went off that road. Now that I have you back I am not going to waste a single second."

Her lips quivered as she fought back the impending flood. "W-what about me? For the past several years I believed I was dying. I was preparing myself to die a slow and possibly painful death. I was held captive by someone I thought loved me. Jax, I need to process all this. My head is still spinning."

"And you have to do it here?"

"Yes. Yes, I think I do," She answered. "Please try to understand."

"We're back," Elizabeth called as she opened the door surprising both Brenda and Jax. "Oops," She winced when she saw that they had interrupted something pretty serious. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Brenda dismissed with the wave of a hand and a smile that was only half forced. "What did the doctor say?"

"I'm healthy as a horse and weigh about as much as one," Elizabeth replied as Jason helped her remove her coat. "Try telling him that though," She added jerking a thumb over her shoulder at Jason as he hung both their coats up.

Jason didn't say anything as he closed the closet and turned to glare at Jax, who returned that glare with a sneer. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and then shared a speaking look with Brenda.

"Jason," Elizabeth said laying a hand on his forearm. "I'm going to make myself a sandwich, do you want one?"

He looked down at her, smiling so sweetly up at him and forgot all about Jax. "Sure," He agreed. "I'll help."

"That would be nice," Elizabeth responded as she towed him towards the kitchen, pausing to wink over her shoulder at Brenda.

"So, you're staying," Jax said looking down at his shoes.

"I'm staying," Brenda confirmed.

"Well, then I guess we don't have anything left to talk about."

When he turned towards the door, Brenda sighed, feeling like a first class bitch. In her mind, she was making the right decision. Until she figured out what she wanted, it would be wrong to string Jax along. But to him it was as if she was choosing Sonny over him, the ultimate betrayal. Rock meet hard place.

Jax cast a look over his shoulder as he stood in the open doorway. "Call me when you decide what it is you want Brenda, or when you come to your senses and realize that there is nothing for you here; pining for Sonny as he lives across the hall with his wife."

Stomping her foot when Jax made a quick exit before she could come up with a proper response, Brenda slammed the door he had left open hard enough to rattle Johnny's teeth as he stood out in the hall.

"So long, Kangaroo-boy," Johnny smirked.

In the kitchen, Jason was about to take a bite of the thick sandwich Elizabeth had just made him when the door slammed with enough force to have the ice in his glass rattle. Sighing heavily, he set the sandwich back on the plate next to the chips Elizabeth had insisted he needed and started to get up from the barstool he was sitting.

"Just eat your lunch," Elizabeth told him as she struggled to climb up on the stool next to him.

Jason reached a hand over and wrapped a hand around her upper arm to balance her as she perched on the tall barstool. "Brenda's fine," She assured him with a curt nod. "Eat your sandwich."

Not sure that he liked being bossed around but knowing he probably had it coming for doing it to her, Jason picked up his sandwich and took a bite. It was pretty good. Both the sandwich and sitting beside Elizabeth, sharing a meal and actually getting along.


	15. Chapter 15

**Flashfiction #155: Plans Change Part 15**

**Prompt: "Smoke and mirrors." **

When he and Sonny had started the coffee business, it was a front. Imagine their surprise when it started making money, a lot of money. They were even thinking of expanding, that's how well business was going. Unfortunately, those plans were no on hold – indefinitely.

For the third time since they had opened, their warehouse had burned down. Another bomb had decimated the building and all the stock it contained. The only difference this time was that no one was killed. That was the only upside.

As the elevator doors opened and Jason stepped into the hall, he could hear yelling coming from Sonny and Carly's penthouse. Sighing heavily, he ran his hands over his soot-streaked face. He didn't even want to know what they were arguing about this time. He had bigger problems on his mind, namely Alcazar.

No one had to tell him who planted the bomb. Lorenzo Alcazar wanted to know who whacked his brother and was not satisfied with the answers he had gotten so far. Like most of Port Charles, Lorenzo blamed them. They got blamed for everything. If some old lady's cat got stuck in the tree it would somehow be their fault.

Entering his penthouse, Jason found Brenda sleeping on the couch with a movie blaring on the TV and fashion magazines scattered on the floor beside her. He shook his head as he started up the stairs. He desperately needed a shower and clean clothes. He looked like a chimney sweep.

Stripping off his white t-shirt, well, it had been white at one time; off as he reached the landing, Jason could hear soft music coming from Elizabeth's room. Curious, he stopped in front of her door to find it ajar. Nudging it open with the toe of his motorcycle boot, his eyebrows arched all the way up to his hairline.

Elizabeth was standing in front of the full-length mirror attached to the inside of her closet door wearing nothing but an open lavender robe over a white bra and panty set. Her hands were resting on her swollen stomach as she studied her image in the gilded glass. She wasn't exactly scowling but her face was solemn as if she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at or if she was happy with it.

Except for her round belly, Elizabeth looked exactly as she had almost six months ago, the night they had met and … hit it off at Jake's. He knew he should not be standing there ogling her but he couldn't seem look away.

He must have made some sort of sound because Elizabeth whirled around. When she saw him, her eyes got as big as dinner plates and she wrapped her robe around her and fumbled with the sash to tie it around her girth.

"Don't you knock?" She asked turning a rather pretty shade of pink.

"Door was open – sort of," He answered.

Tempted to lecture him on a person's right to privacy she swallowed the sharp words that were on the tip of her tongue when she saw how filthy and haggard he was. "What happened to you?"

"Fire down at the warehouse."

Her lips parted on a silent gasp and she took a few steps towards him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, the warehouse isn't."

Relief washed through her at his answer. I building could be rebuilt or a new one bought but if something happened to him …, well, she didn't want to think about that. Or why it mattered so much. "Was anyone hurt?"

Jason shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I checked the building myself. No one was …"

"JASON! That's what firemen are for. You shouldn't be walking around in a burning building."

The concern in her voice touched something deep inside him, making him feel twelve feet tall. "I didn't know you cared," He couldn't help but tease.

"I-I don't," She stammered tightening the sash of her robe when she needed something to do other than look at him. "I just … I would worry about anyone dumb enough to go into a burning building."

"It's my building, at least it was, and I can do whatever the hell I want to with it. Burning or not."

If she thought it would do any good, she would hit him. She really wanted to. How could anyone be so blasé about their life? It was not like he was a cat with nine lives. "Fine. Go ahead and get yourself hurt or killed, what do I care? I mean, what does it matter to me if you aren't around long enough to see your son or daughter born?"

"I thought the guilt trips only started after you were married."

"It's not a guilt trip. Just the facts," She replied with an ever-darkening scowl. "Why don't you go get cleaned up before you get soot all over the place."

"Yeah," He agreed, turning around and going towards his room.

Elizabeth watched him go with a growing ball of fear in the pit of her stomach. Jason had yet to discuss his business with her but she was getting the sense that he risked his life on the daily basis. There was a very real possibility that he would not make it to see the birth of their child. She wanted to ask about a million questions about his lifestyle but every time she started to, she found she couldn't. It wasn't really any of her business was it? She was just the mother of his child. Hell, they weren't even friends.

Sighing, Elizabeth went back over the closet to pick out some clothes. That was what she had been doing before her reflection distracted her. It seemed like every time she saw herself in the mirror she was caught off-guard by the changes in her body. The physical changes weren't even as great as the ones in her life but they were the ones that she was most distracted by.

She had the sinking feeling she would never fit back in her old clothes.

When Jason went back downstairs, Brenda was gone and Elizabeth was puttering around the kitchen. He was well aware that he had royally screwed things up earlier. He didn't know why they couldn't seem to get along for more than a day and a half. Except that they were still tip-toeing around each other, afraid to put a foot out of line even though that was all they seemed capable of doing. He didn't know her and she didn't know him. It wasn't exactly the best condition in which to bring a child into the world.

He was about to go into the kitchen when the door opened and slammed causing him to backtrack. He rounded the corner just in time to collide with Carly. He grasped her shoulders in his hands and set her away from him. It wasn't necessary to ask if she was upset, her face was red and breathing heavy.

"You can tell your boss that I am not going to the island," She informed him practically breathing fire. "If he thinks he can ship me off any old time he wants he has got another thing coming."

"Carly," He started soothingly.

"I won't go," She snarled, ignoring him completely. "I. Will. Not. Go. He can't make me."

Jason left the fact that Sonny could in fact make her go without comment. There was no need to rile her up even more. "If Sonny thinks you should go down to the island then there is a good reason."

"Well, of course you'd take his side," She huffed with a disgusted glare at her supposed best friend. "There was some little fire at the warehouse and now you and Sonny have closed ranks and shut me out. Why am I always left out?" She whined. "No wait, I know. Women aren't allowed in business."

"That's right. It's for your own protection."

"OH SHUT UP!" Carly screamed, spun around on her heel and stormed out of the penthouse, slamming the door on her way out just as she had on her arrival.

With his arms hanging limply at his side, he hung his head. Women, he'd never understand them.

"Let me guess, Carly," Elizabeth said coming up behind him with a cup of herbal tea in her hands.

"Who else?" Jason asked with a helpless shake of the head.

"What's her problem this time? She break a nail?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up at her sarcastic question, he couldn't help be amused by all her smartass comments. As long as they weren't directed at him that is. It would sound really strange if he admitted it out loud but he believed that her smart mouth was one of the things he liked best about her.

"Something like that," He responded. "Sonny's sending down to the Caribbean for a few days."

With a disbelieving look, Elizabeth scoffed, "Yeah, I know I would throw a hissy fit if I was _forced_ to send a few days lying on the beach, soaking up the sun and drinking those fruity drinks with the little umbrellas." Casting a sorrowful look down at her stomach, she added, "At least she can still wear a bikini."

"Carly isn't like most women."

"I'm not sure Carly is like any woman alive. We can all be thankful for that."

He chuckled because she was right, he was thankful that there was only one Carly. Anymore and he was afraid he would have put his gun to his head and put himself out of his misery. One Carly was all he could take and most of the time he couldn't even take her.

"It's not so much that she minds going to down to the island," He explained, "it's that Sonny doesn't ask – he tells."

"I've had some experience with that myself," Elizabeth replied with a speaking look.

Jason smirked, accepting the little dig without complaint. He had a feeling he would be hearing about his making her move in with him for a very long time. "She'll go. She just likes to put up the biggest fight possible before she gives in. Of course, Sonny will buy her some insanely expensive present to make up for it. It's how they work."

"Whatever works," Elizabeth shrugged.

"You know, it might not be a bad idea if you went down to the island for a few days as well," Jason mused out loud. "Brenda could go with you to keep you company."

"You want to send me down to some island when I'm six months pregnant? With Carly?" She asked with a dubious laugh. "Asking whether you are crazy would probably be redundant at this point."

"Things are … things are unstable right now," He told her trying to choose his words carefully. Her blood pressure was still a concern and even it wasn't he still didn't want to upset her. "You might be more comfortable somewhere else for the time being."

"Comfortable?" She parroted. "Don't you mean safer?"

"That too," He said unable, not to mention unwilling, to lie to her.

"No."

How had he known she would say that? Unlike Carly, Elizabeth didn't yell. She just dug her heels in and refused to budge. "Sending you down there with Carly is probably a bad idea," He conceded, "especially with only Brenda and a few guards to play referee. But you could go visit your family for a few days. I'm sure they'd love to see you and in a few weeks you won't be able to travel. Now is the last chance you'll get to go see them before the baby is born, unless they are coming for the birth."

Elizabeth snorted in derision. Pigs and all other farm animals would fly before anyone in her family came to see her. "I'd rather take my chances with Carly," She told him.

"You don't get along with your family?"

"That's putting it mildly."

"I don't get along with mine either," He replied liking that they may actually have something in common besides making a baby together. "Except for my grandmother and sister, I don't have anything to do with them."

"It's a little more complicated than my just not wanting anything to do with them," Elizabeth said with a wince.

"How much more complicated?" He asked curiously. This might be his chance to learn something about her.

Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she bit it thoughtfully, hesitant to tell him or anyone else about the situation with her family. She did not talk about her family. She didn't even like to think about them. Just thinking about them made her crazy.

"Elizabeth," Jason prodded.

She released her often-tortured lip and sighed. "My parents don't even know where I am," She admitted. "The day I graduated from high school I packed my bags and took off. I haven't seen or heard from them since and I can't say that I mind."


	16. Chapter 16

**Flashfiction #156: Plans Change Part 16**

**Prompt: Only Innocent in the Dark **

"My parents don't even know where I am," She admitted. "The day I graduated from high school I packed my bags and took off. I haven't seen or heard from them since and I can't say that I mind."

Jason did not know what to say to that. Even if things were strained between him and the Quartermaine's, they always seemed to keep up with each other's lives. Whether he wanted to know or not, he always had an idea of what was going on with Edward, Alan and Monica. He was also well aware that his parents tried their best to stay apprised of the goings on in his life. He couldn't imagine Elizabeth's parents just letting her go and never bothering to get into contact with her. Didn't they want to know where she was or if she was alright?

What kind of parents were they?

Lord knew the Quartermaine's were hardly the model family but they cared – in their own overbearing, crazy way. If Alan and Monica still considered him their son after all these years, how bad did things have to be between Elizabeth and her parents for them to turn their backs on her or her turn her back on them? She obviously didn't miss them. There had to be a reason for that.

Elizabeth was shuffling her feet and looking vaguely uncomfortable as if she had said more than she intended to. "I really don't want to talk about this."

"Okay."

"The subject of my family is … difficult," She elaborated feeling as if she owed him some sort of explanation for why she did not want to talk about her parents when she had opened her big mouth in the first place. She could have just said that they did not get along and her going to stay with them wouldn't be a good idea. Or maybe that they were out of the country – they could be for all she knew. There were millions of excuses and she had blurted out the truth without a second thought.

"I understand difficult families."

"I haven't spoken to them in years so they really don't have anything to do with me or my life. They won't be part of the baby's life," She told him placing a protective hand to her stomach.

"If that's what you want."

"It's what I want."

As long as they were discussing families, Jason figured there was no time like the present to talk to her about his. "My sister goes to school out in California but I think we should, maybe, go see my grandmother."

"Your grandmother?"

"I haven't really told anyone about the baby or …"

"Me," She concluded with a raise brow. It didn't surprise her that she was his dirty little secret but she could not lie to herself and pretend that it didn't hurt. As long as Jason didn't treat their child like that then she could deal with some hurt feelings. However, if he thought he could buy his way out of being part of their baby's life after all this, he would have bigger problems than an enemy burning down a warehouse because she would rip his heart out with her bare hands.

"Things haven't exactly been easy between us."

"No, they haven't."

If he wanted to be honest with himself, Jason would admit that the reason he hadn't told Lila was that he was afraid of what Elizabeth would say to her. His, whatever Elizabeth was to him, wasn't exactly known for holding her rather sharp tongue. While he liked that particular trait in her, his grandmother may not take too kindly to it.

"My grandmother will want to meet you."

Meeting the family was not something Elizabeth really wanted to do. It implied some sort of commitment or at least certain intentions towards a commitment. Jason could commit himself to their child all he wanted, he could pledge his life to being a father and that was fine, great, super. She'd buy him a father of the year plaque and have a parade. She, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. She wanted nothing from him except for him to be a good father. That was what he wanted and since he seemed determined to be part of their child's life, she would not prevent him from doing it.

"It's a small town. I'm sure we'll run into each other at some point," She said with a nervous little smile.

That was the very last thing he expected her to say. He didn't want to make a big deal of it but it was important to him that Lila meet Elizabeth, she was after all, the mother of his child. Lila would be offended if he didn't introduce them and he never wanted to hurt his grandmother as he knew he had in the past, however unintentionally.

"I don't know if you've had run-ins with the Quartermaine's in the past - I'll apologize for them now if you have – but Lila isn't like the rest of them," Jason replied.

"The Quartermaine's?" Elizabeth repeated with wide, shocked eyes. "You're a Quartermaine?"

"No."

"No?"

"Jason Quartermaine died the night he tried to stop his brother from driving drunk by getting in the car with him. He got his head rammed into a tree. The Quartermaine's golden boy died and I was born. I have very little to do with them, if I can help it."

"I think I need to sit down," Elizabeth whispered using the back of the desk chair for support.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked running his eyes over her looking for any visible signs of distress.

Unable to speak, she nodded and let Jason lead her over to the couch to sit down. For some reason finding out that her … whatever Jason was to her, was a member of one of the most prominent families in New York had her reeling. She didn't even know where to start with the confusing explanation he had given her. Jason Quartermaine. Jason Morgan. Was there a difference besides the last name?

A mobster or a spoiled rich kid, which was worse?

Jason ran his hand up and down her back as they sat together. Elizabeth's head was bent with her hair curtaining her face. "How you doing?" He asked softly.

"Fine," She mumbled. "Just a little … surprised."

"By what, that I was once a Quartermaine? If your family doesn't enter into this then neither does mine, with the exception of Lila and Emily."

"You can't choose your family," She murmured more to herself than to him.

"No, you can't," Jason agreed.

Sitting up, Elizabeth scraped the hair out of her face and took a deep cleansing breath. He was right. If her parents didn't matter than neither did his. He accepted her reasons or lack there of, so she would just do the same for him. "If you want me to meet your grandmother then I will."

"Okay, I'll find out a good time for us to go over there."

"But there is a condition."

"Why am I not surprised?" He asked more amused than anything else.

"I don't know," She responded with a purely innocent expression.

"Let's hear your condition?"

"You have to make it clear to your grandmother that you are only going to be a part of the baby's life, not mine. We are not getting married. We are not even a couple. We are just together, not even really together, because of the baby. I don't want her getting the wrong idea about us."

"Okay."

"Good," Elizabeth said with a smile relieved that they could come to a decision without fighting or even raising their voices.

"Anything else?" He asked not altogether pleased that Elizabeth felt it necessary to make it clear that there was no chance for them. None at all. It wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"I'll let you know," She answered pleased that they were getting along. Stress really wasn't good for the baby. Jason wasn't a bad guy, she had known that from their first meeting. Even when she had tried to let him off the hook where the baby was concerned he wouldn't let her. That said a lot about what kind of he was.

Maybe they could even become friends.

"Jason is not going to like this," Johnny told Brenda as he helped her out of the car.

"Jason doesn't have to know if you don't open your big mouth."

"I report to him."

"Okay, listen up, O'Brien," Brenda said as he released her hand and closed the car door. "You are my bodyguard, not my keeper."

"Too bad, you need one."

Ignoring him, Brenda continued, "You can follow me around all you want, it's actually sort of useful to have someone to drive and carry my bags when I go shopping, but you do not get to tell me what to do. Jason doesn't either. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good," She responded as they entered the hotel. "Now which room is his?"

"Third floor," Johnny murmured as his eyes darted around the lobby trying to ignore how many people were watching them. He tried to rush her through the room and onto the elevator but Brenda wasn't having it.

"Cool it," She hissed. "I'm wearing heels and they aren't meant for running."

"We aren't running."

"Whatever," She said rolling her eyes. "It's not like we are doing a job for Sonny. Just paying a friendly visit to a guest."

"We aren't exactly the welcome wagon here, Barrett," Johnny replied stabbing a finger at the appropriate button.

"Do me a favor Johnny, just keep your mouth shut and look pretty. You should be good at that by now."

Johnny shook his head as the doors slid soundlessly open and they stepped off. "Jason's going to kill me," He groaned as he followed his charge down the hall.

"This one?" She asked pausing in front of room 324.

"Yeah," He reluctantly answered.

Brenda shook her hair back and plastered a smile on her face, before she knocked rather insistently on the door, even as Johnny prayed that no one would answer. "You worry too much, John-boy."

"It's like Little Red Riding Hood visiting the big bad wolf in his den," He grumbled.

Elbowing him in the stomach, Brenda said, "Shut up and straighten your tie."

Muttering under his breath, Johnny straightened his tie and glared at Brenda as she knocked on the door again.

When the door opened, Johnny's stomach sank. He wondered if he could get Francis to change assignments with him. Elizabeth seemed okay to him and not quite as much trouble as his current one.

"Mr. Alcazar," Brenda greeted brightly.

"Ms. Barrett," Lorenzo responded with an incline of the head. If he was surprised to see her, he didn't show it. "Would you like to come in?"

Knowing that it would drive her unwilling partner in crime crazy, Brenda said, "Yes, we would. Thank you."

Lip curled in a sneer, Johnny followed her. He hoped Jason would not shot him in the head; his mom would want an open casket at the funeral.

"You got a nice suite," Brenda commented as she made herself right at home.

"It serves its purpose," Lorenzo replied as he said across from her in the green brocade high backed chair.

"Umm hmm," She agreed. "Listen, I don't want to waste anyone's time here so I'll just get straight to the point."

"I'd appreciate it."

She grinned and asked, "What are you doing in Port Charles?"

Lorenzo didn't even blink. "I'm here to find my brother's murderer."

"And burning down my ex's coffee warehouse does that how?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Lorenzo smiled slightly before saying, "What makes you think I burnt down Corinthos' warehouse?"

"Oh please," Brenda scoffed rolling her eyes. "I know how you guys do things. If you're not shooting at each other or having one another arrested, you're burning things down. I am not new to this sort of thing."

"How horrible for you," Lorenzo commented. "You really should be more careful about your … friends."

"Cut the crap."

"Fine," Lorenzo said leaning forward, placing his elbows on his knees and regarding her quite seriously. "I did not burn down Corinthos' warehouse."


	17. Chapter 17

**Flashfiction #157: Plans Change Part 17**

**Prompt: "It was a dark and stormy night..." **

"_Fine," Lorenzo said leaning forward, placing his elbows on his knees and regarding her quite seriously. "I did not burn down Corinthos' warehouse."_

She could not say why, but she believed him. Maybe it was because, even after all she had been through, she still saw the good in people. Perhaps she was being naive or even stupid and there was a good possibility that she should be a little more suspicious. However, she wasn't one to do what she should.

"Whether you believe me or not, it doesn't matter," Lorenzo told her. "I am here to find my brother's killer. I have no interest in Corinthos or Morgan beyond any involvement they had in Luis's death."

"What about me?" Brenda couldn't help but ask, not that she expected an honest answer.

Leaning back in his chair, Lorenzo appeared to have to consider that answer. "My brother was with a woman the night he died."

"It wasn't me."

"I know."

Now she was suspicious and a little scared. Where Luis had been all temper and fire, Lorenzo was projected an image of cool cunning. He would not allow his anger get the better of him. He was too slick for that. In short, he scared her.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked eyeing him warily and suddenly very glad that she had brought Johnny along instead of ditching him like originally planned.

With a chilling smile, he replied, "To see your reaction."

Displeased at being toyed with, Brenda frowned. "And what did my reaction tell you?"

"I see why my brother loved you. You're very … cleaver, more than just a pretty face."

"Luis was obsessed with me," She retorted, offended by the use of the word 'love'.

Lorenzo nodded in agreement with the assessment. "And it is that obsession that ultimately got him killed."

"And you blame me," She concluded.

"You hated him. You had motive," He responded, "but you didn't kill him. I know that but my niece deserves answers for her father's death."

Stunned speechless, Brenda simply gaped at him before recovering. "Luis had a daughter?"

"You didn't know." It wasn't a question, more like he was thinking out loud.

"I-I had no idea." Helplessly, she looked over at Johnny, who stood sentinel at the door and did nothing more than meet her eyes for a moment and then stare blankly ahead. If Sonny and Jason knew about this, they weren't going to share the information, especially not with her.

"Sage is fifteen. She has not seen her father in years," Lorenzo told her quietly. "The next and last time she will see him is at the funeral."

"I-I'm sorry," Brenda stammered. At the disbelieving look Lorenzo sent her, she explained. "I'm not sorry Luis is dead but I'm sorry Sage lost her father."

Lorenzo seemed to accept that answer and gave a curt nod to intimate as much. "I can't bring Luis back for her but I can give her the answers she needs. The answers and the justice."

Brenda snorted, unable to stop herself. "I've seen that kind of justice before. It always ends with whomever you deem the guilty party laying on a slab in the morgue."

"Only if the police don't find her first."

**Harborview Towers: **

Jason tapped his knuckles on her door and pushed it open when she called that it was open. Elizabeth was laying on her side on the bed, reading a book and looking like she was more than halfway asleep.

"I have to go out for awhile. Francis is outside if you need anything," He told her.

With some effort, Elizabeth sat up. "When will you be back?"

Lifting a shoulder, Jason said, "Late."

"Oh, okay," She replied forcing a small smile. "The radio says it's going to storm. Um, be careful."

Nodding, Jason pulled the door closed and left her alone with her book once more.

**Lake House: **

"Stay here," Brenda commanded as she got out of the car and slammed the door making Johnny wince.

"Shut up. Stay here," Johnny mocked in a high pitched voice. "What am I, a dog?"

She quickly ran up the slate walkway as the first fat raindrops began to fall. In the distance, she could hear thunder rolling in. She stumbled up the steps, her slim heeled boots catching on the edge of the first rough wooden step.

"Klutz," She scolded as she grabbed hold of the banister and steadied herself.

The lights were burning bright in the many windowed house, practically radiating warmth and safety. She knew she could have gone back to the penthouse and found comfort and reassurance there with Elizabeth. Even Jason would have shown support in his own stoic way, which was more comforting than one would expect. Instead, her first thought had been of Jax.

Jax always gave her what she needed. She asked for time and space and he had given it. When she needed someone to pick her up and dust her off after she fell on her face, he was there. In all the years that she had been thought dead, he never gave up on her. No matter what, Jax was always there.

Smiling even as tears pricked her eyes, Brenda crossed the deck to the front door, but what she saw through the window made her stop. Inside the cozy little living room, Jax had his arms around his ex-wife. Skye was crying, Brenda could tell by the shaking of her shoulders and Jax was rubbing his broad hands up and down her back to soothe her.

Backing away, Brenda felt her heart sink. Jax was always there … except when he wasn't.

**Harborview Towers: **

Shivering as the lightening sliced through the sky like a jagged, blazing sword, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself. The penthouse was dark, only the clock on the VCR provided a minimal amount of eerie green light. The only sound was thunder loud enough to shake the windowpanes of the balcony doors where she stood.

It was almost midnight and Jason still wasn't home yet. It was hard not to worry about him. Since learning who he was, she had been gathering all the information she could and what she found, she didn't like. The man appeared to be a bullet magnet.

The baby gave her ribs a particularly vicious kick causing Elizabeth suck in a deep breath as she laid a hand over the spot. If her concern over Jason hadn't been enough to keep her awake, the baby's gymnastics were more than enough to have her pacing the floors.

Brenda had come home several hours ago and went to bed with only a muttered 'goodnight' as she disappeared into her room and closed the door. Elizabeth didn't know what was going on with her friend but figured when and if Brenda wanted to talk about it, she knew where to find her.

Growing bored with watching the rain; she padded over to the couch and curled up in one corner of the soft leather. It wasn't so easy to get comfortable these days being as she was about twenty pounds heavier and had a little person doing cartwheels in her womb all hours of the day and night.

Sighing, she sat staring into the dark dreaming about what her baby would be like. Would he or she have her sapphire blue eyes or Jason's paler blue? Would they inherit her artistic talent? It didn't really matter, she just liked thinking about it. It was nice to dream.

Startled when the door opened and Jason came in, light spilling into the darkened room from the hallway, slanting over her causing her to squint. If Jason was surprised to see her up, he didn't show it. He took off his leather coat and draped it over the back of the desk chair to drip dry. Then he ran his hand through his damp spikes, as he walked over to her.

"Can't sleep?"

"Uh-uh," She replied. "I'm pretty sure we either have a gymnast or a soccer player on our hands."

Jason smiled as he sank down on the couch beside her but not close enough that they were touching. "Having a pretty rough night then," He concluded.

"Sort of," She answered, "we're just kind of restless tonight."

Grunting in response, Jason asked, "Is there a reason you're sitting in the dark?"

Chuckling, she said, "Not really."

"Okay."

She could hear the laughter in his voice and she looked over in his direction. "Are you laughing at me?"

"Maybe a little."

"Well, I'm so glad I could entertain you," She said with a laugh of her own. "I wanted to watch the storm. I like the rain."

Making a noncommittal sound deep in his throat, Jason slicked his hair back with one hand. He didn't care one way or another about the weather. Hot or cold, rain, snow or the middle of a heat wave, it made no difference to him. He would admit that the snow could be kind of nice just after it fell. Quiet. It always seemed to be really quiet after a good heavy snow.

"Oh!" Elizabeth exclaimed, jumping slightly as the baby gave another strong kick.

"What? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head and laughing, she grabbed his hand and drew it to her stomach. "You have to feel this. It is so weird. Good weird but weird just the same."

Jason let her press his hand to the side of her rounded belly and waited to feel something. When he felt a flutter against his palm, it startled him.

"I think that was an elbow," She told him with a soft smile.

Looking up at her in wonder, Jason was simply dumbfounded. He had yet to think of the baby in terms of knees or elbows. It was earthshaking for him because he had only known about the baby for about a month and in a lot of ways it still wasn't real to him.

"Pretty amazing huh?"

"Yeah," He replied waiting to feel something else.

"Here," Elizabeth said moving his hand to the other side as she felt the baby move again.

Now that he had felt his child move, it was real. It was so startling real.


	18. Chapter 18

**Flashfiction #158: Plans Change Part 18**

**Prompt: "Memories don't lie" **

_All a man wanted after a long day of dealing with everyone else's problems was a beer, some peace and quiet and maybe a game or two nine ball. Too bad the beer in his refrigerator was Lite and therefore tasteless and not even his brand, peace and quiet was a thing of the past and his pool table was covered with fabric and wallpaper samples, all thanks to his 'wife.' _

_Jason shoved open the door to his favorite bar and breathed in the smell of grease, smoke and stale beer. There was no place like Jake's when you wanted to get away from your life. If he thought he could get away with it, he would see if Jake had his old room available. He could use a break from his life._

_The bar was fairly crowded and as the pool table was already taken, Jason headed over to the bar. Jake was slinging drinks and chatting with a few of her regulars and when he slid onto a stool, she greeted him with a smile and a frosty bottle of beer without his ever having to say a word._

"_Been awhile," Jake commented. "I hear congratulations are in order."_

"_For what?" He asked before taking a long pull from the bottle. _

"_For getting married."_

_Shrugging in response, Jason took a look around the bar. "You're busy tonight."_

_Accepting the obvious change in subject with nothing more than a smile, Jake said, "Yeah, we are. You see the little thing playing pool?"_

_It was hard not to notice her, he thought as he allowed his eyes to rest on her slight form. Dressed in black head to toe with wavy dark hair down her back, skin like fresh cream and red full lips curved in a permanent smirk, a lot of eyes were on her. Jake's did not get woman that looked like that very often. _

"_She's my new tenant. Sweet girl but has trouble written all over her," Jake told him off-handedly. _

"_What kind of trouble?" Jason asked, if Jake was telling him all this, there was a reason. _

"_Oh, it's not that she's the trouble. It's the kind she attracts," She explained dumping peanuts into a bowel and setting it in front of him. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on her. I don't like the look of those guys she's hustling."_

"_Sure thing," He replied as he got to his feet, taking his beer with him and walking over to an empty booth in the back corner. There wasn't any harm in his keeping an eye on things if Jake asked. He figured he owed her that for all the years she looked out for him. Whenever he needed a room, she had one. If someone came around looking for him, she kept her mouth shut. She was a friend. A friend he could count on and he didn't have many of those._

_From this position, he could see what was going on in the entire bar; everyone that came or went, what was going on at the bar and most importantly, what was happening at the table and the young woman Jake had apparently taken under her wing. Watching her, Jason saw that she ruled the table. The two shmucks that she was playing didn't stand a chance. Good form he noted and watched as she sank shot after shot. She didn't walk around the table, she danced. Drank beer right out of the bottle and brushed off the guys come-on's with barely any effort or care._

_She had no tattoos or piercings that he could see. Her clothes looked expensive. The spike-heeled boots looked identical to ones he had seen Brenda wearing and the leather pants she was poured into didn't look cheap. She either had money or had at one time. She sure as hell did not fit in at Jake's._

_As he drained the last of his beer, he saw her sink the eight ball. When she turned to her companions the smirk she had been wearing the whole time was gone. Smug was the best way to describe her expression. As if she had been trying to prove something by winning. He figured the shmucks had tried to pick her up by challenging her to a game, wanting to show off for the pretty girl and compete to see which one would be taking her home. Looked like they both lost all the way around._

_Served them right._

_Both guys walked away looking dejected and a little angry at having been beaten so soundly by a woman. Jason's attention was diverted by the waitress that came to bring him a fresh beer and take away the empty bottle._

"_She's been doing that all night," Molly murmured so quietly that he barely heard her. "I think she's beaten every guy in here at least once. They're calling her the Ice Queen."_

_Jason nodded his thank both for the beer and the information and when she went away; cast his eyes back over to the pool table and the dark angel that was racking the balls for a new game. She was cool, he'd give her that but he would reserve judgment on the Ice Queen comment. _

_As she prepared to break, Jason climbed to his feet. If he was going to spend the night watching her, he might as well do it up close and get a few games in at the same time. _

_The brightly colored balls skittered across the table as the white cue ball hit them with a loud crack, sinking two. She stepped back to study the table, now that she wasn't driven by the need to win she was taking her time, enjoying the game. Grabbing the bottle off the ledge of the table, she took a drink. As if feeling someone had joined her, she turned and lifted a slim brow in question. _

"_I was beginning to wonder if you were going to introduce yourself or just spend the whole night staring at me," She said as her lips curved into that maddening smirk. _

"_I'm Jason," He responded holding out his free hand._

_Placing her much smaller hand in his, she gave it a firm shake. "Elizabeth Webber," She said and then blatantly ran her eyes over him. She must have decided she liked what she saw because she gave him a true smile that seemed to make her light up from the inside and asked, "Care for a game?"_

"_Sure."_

_The smirk was back as she racked the balls as he selected his cue from the rack on the wall. "Well Jason, I hope you don't mind losing to a girl."_

"_I don't plan on losing."_

_She laughed and then said, "We'll see."_

Throwing down his pencil, Jason leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face. It was clear that he was not going to be able to concentrate on the books today. There was too much on his mind and it was all about Elizabeth.

He would have to say that he had been attracted to her from the moment he laid eyes on her. Of course, a man would have to be dead and buried ten years for him not to sit up and take notice of Elizabeth.

Looking over at her sleeping on the couch, he sighed heavily as he got to his feet. Quietly he made his way over to her and found the remote control buried under Brenda's magazines on the coffee table and turned the TV off. Elizabeth had been watching an old black and white movie that she had been looking forward to, just not enough to keep her awake. She'd asked him to watch with her but he claimed he had work to do. Jason snorted, as if he was going to get any work done with her around.

Skirting the coffee table, he pulled the yellow afghan off the back of the couch, unfolded it and spread it over Elizabeth's prone form. She moaned and snuggled deeper into her pillow but didn't wake up.

Without thinking about it, he sat down on the table and watched her sleep. Hesitantly he reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face. It was longer now and her bangs were growing out. Her face was fuller and cheeks rosier. He thought she was even more beautiful now than she had been the night they had met. Maybe she couldn't fit into those leather pants right now or run a table like she had before but she was still sexy as hell.

They were getting along better these days but he wasn't fool enough to believe it would last for long. They just could not seem to keep from butting heads. However, they had a child to think about now. It was time that they started thinking about what was best for their child, not just now but for the future as well.

He was committed to being there for both of them. He wanted to be a good father. The best father he could be. Just feeling the baby move for the first time, not only made it real for him but it got him thinking about what he wanted for himself and for Elizabeth and their child.

Things that he had considered impossible just a few months ago were in his grasp now. He did not plan to throw them away because he was scared or things weren't really going his way.

Trailing his fingers down her cheek, he sighed once more. She was definitely going to have a problem when he told her they were getting married.


	19. Chapter 19

**Flashfiction #159: Plans Change Part 19**

**Prompt: She only wanted love and didn't bargain for this... **

She wasn't prone to fits of depression. Actually, she was pretty up beat most of the time, something that drove her ex-husband crazy. She couldn't help it, she had the uncanny ability to find the silver lining in every situation. Even when things could not look bleaker, she found a way to turn that frown upside down.

Brenda Barrett was a glass half-full kind of girl.

While it was true, she had found herself in some pretty rotten situations she always came out smelling like a rose. Take for now for instance, she had no money, job or home, Jax was cuddled up at the lake house with his ex-wife, Lorenzo was walking around town scaring everyone that saw him – although, that was rather fun to watch – and she lived across the hall from her ex-boyfriend and his wife, the wicked witch of the east. Did she let that get her down? Nope. Not a chance.

She was nothing if not a fighter.

After all, she wasn't dead. She wasn't sick or likely to lose her grip on reality and live out the rest of her days in a sanitarium. Luis couldn't terrorize her or the people she loved anymore. She had a new friend in Elizabeth. Not being married to Jason was pretty nice too now that she thought of it.

See she knew how to find the good in anything.

Ya know, except for that little part about Jax being cuddled up with Skye at the lake house. There was no silver lining in that, she'd looked.

Sighing as she sat on the docks staring out at Wyndmere and ignoring Johnny, who lurked in the background, Brenda wondered if this was not how things were supposed to work out in the end.

It had never been her intention to return to Port Charles. Luis had brought her there. She never wanted to come back and hurt anyone. All she wanted to was to live out what she thought to be her last years away from those that would suffer most from her illness. It was better that they thought she had died, that way they would never have to see her fade away, become someone else and then leave them all when her body had given out, holding out much longer than her mind.

Luis had been obsessed though. He had known that she wasn't really sick, that she had not inherited her mother's disease. It had driven him over the edge. She hadn't realized it then but his days were numbered, sooner or later she would have figured out that she wasn't sick. He would lose her then. She would have no reason to stay and he couldn't let that happen.

Luis wanted to destroy everything and everyone she had ever loved so that she had nothing to return to. He wanted to be the only thing in her life, her savior and her lover, the only person that mattered. Except he knew that wasn't the case. Sonny and Jax were always close to the surface even in her drug-fogged mind. If not in her mind than in her heart. Feelings that could not be erased stood between them and he hated it, while she clung to them.

In her darkest days, she believed that if she could still close her eyes and conjure up images of Sonny and Jax or Robin and Lois that her mind wasn't gone yet. As long as she could do that then there was still time.

Time, she thought, solved many problems.

Perhaps, that was her mistake. She thought that she needed time away from Jax to decide what she wanted. Thought that he needed time himself to decide what he really wanted and needed. Did he really need her? Did he really want to take on her and all her problems again? She came with a lot of baggage and she wasn't talking about her nice set of Louis Vuitton either.

Jax had moved on with Skye. Skye made him happy; Brenda saw that with her own two eyes. Jax had finally let her go. If she could go back and do everything over, she would never have gone to see Jax, taken him away from his wife on his wedding night. It was selfishness on her part. There was no excuse for it.

Now she saw that what she and Jax had all those years ago was gone. They were different people now and no matter how much she wanted things to go back to how they had been, it wasn't going to happen. What Jax and Skye had now was real. They deserved a chance.

It was hard but Brenda thought it was about time to let go of the past. Long past time if she wanted to be completely honest with herself. She'd been trying to live in the past. She wanted a redo damn it. A chance to turn back time so that she never would have gone with her mother and gone over that cliff to her supposed death. Go back to a time when she and Jax had been happy, looking ahead to their future together with nothing but stars in their eyes, flushed with love and dreaming of a perfect life.

Hell, if she was going to turn back time why not go back a few more years and her failed relationship with Sonny. She could do everything different there too. She and Sonny had been crazy in love. They'd had just as much of a chance at happiness as anyone else. Ever since Sonny had left her at the alter there had been a hole in her heart that even Jax could not fill.

Groaning, Brenda ran her hands through her wildly curling hair. All these years later and she still felt torn between two men. Sonny and Jax. Jax and Sonny. Back and forth. Back and forth. Her heart didn't know what she wanted any more than her head.

That right there was her whole problem. She loved two men but she loved what they had in the past. They'd moved on, while she was frozen in time.

Pulling the zipper up on her black leather coat a little higher, Brenda turned as she heard the measured steps behind her although her knew who it was. He had come to confuse her head and heart even more. To make her yearn for things she couldn't have. Things she shouldn't want.

Sonny stopped beside the bench where she sat, his brown wool trench coat flapping in the breeze blowing in off the water. Always impeccably dressed he had a burgundy scarf around his neck and wore brown leather gloves in deference to the chilly winter day. She avoided meeting his warm obsidian eyes and instead settled for the cold gray seas of the harbor.

"It's cold, you shouldn't be sitting out here," He said forgoing the usual pleasantries.

"I'm fine."

"You're frozen."

Maybe she would freeze to death and then she wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore, she thought. "I'll thaw."

"Come on Brenda, I'll by you a cup of coffee."

Ignoring the offer she asked, "Did you get Carly and Michael settled on the island? I bet it's nice and warm there." She did it to remind herself and maybe him too that he had a family to worry about. That she was inconsequential to him and they'd both do well to remember it.

Sonny sat down beside her without waiting for an invitation and not asking for one either. "Michael loves it down there. He'll come back with a tan when all his friends are building snowmen."

The fact that he didn't mention Carly didn't surpass her. She knew that they had fought bitterly about being sent away. It seemed that all Sonny and Carly did was fight. Brenda didn't want to think about it. To do so would only serve to give her hope that they would divorce and she would get another chance. It was horrible to wish for something like that, a marriage to end so she could get what she wanted – or thought she wanted. She was an awful person.

"I'm sure he'll have a great time," She murmured and managed a small smile for his benefit; although why she bothered she did not know.

Concerned for her, Sonny asked, "What's going on Brenda? I figured you'd be neck deep in baby preparations."

"That's for Elizabeth and Jason to do together."

He made a noise of agreement and said, "Elizabeth's a nice young woman. I think she's good for Jason."

"He loves her."

Surprised at her bluntness but not the sentiment, Sonny said, "I know."

"She loves him too but is too scared to admit it. She doesn't like needing him or anyone else for that matter."

"Too independent for her own good," He commented with a dimpled grin. "Sounds like someone else I know."

Brenda shrugged. She knew he couldn't be talking about her. Independent was only something she fooled herself into believing she could be. She had no idea how to stand on her own two feet, wondered if she ever had.

"A-are you planning on moving in with Jax?" Sonny couldn't help but ask. He knew she stayed at the penthouse because Elizabeth wanted her to and it had been a good idea. Jason and Elizabeth needed a buffer, especially in those first few weeks. Brenda had been spending more and more time away from the penthouse though. Jason and Elizabeth would be fine on their own.

"I don't think so."

"Hmm, why not?"

"Are we playing twenty questions or something?" She snapped as she turned to look at him. "All you've done since you sat down is ask me question. Do you see a crystal ball around here?"

"I merely want to know what's going on with you. Is that a crime now too? Should I call Justus?"

Rolling her eyes, Brenda squared her shoulders and said, "Fine, you want to know what's going on then I'll tell you. Jax and Skye are back together. I saw them together yesterday and when I went back today, she was still there."

"Brenda, I'm…"

"Don't you dare pretend to be sorry," She hissed cutting him off before he could say it. "We both know how you feel about Jax. Don't act like you care one way or another what happens with me and Jax. You don't. As long as I stay out of your hair, you don't care."

"That's not entirely true. I care about what happens to you, Brenda. I always have."

"Yeah, well, I don't know what's going to happen to me," She admitted regretfully. "I thought Jax and I might have a future together but I was just fooling myself. He talked about buying my old cottage back from Nikolas Cassadine so that we could be together. Just like old times."

"Did you want your cottage back?"

Shrugging she said, "I guess. It was home. I still think about it as being mine. I-I need to get out of Jason and Elizabeth's way. They don't need me there anymore. They won't say it and Elizabeth would deny it but I know it's time to go. I want to go. I need to find away to move on with my life."

Sonny watched as she went back to watching the water and trying to ignore him. He wondered if she knew how lucky she was, she got a second chance at life. A chance to start over from scratch and do everything differently if she wanted. He wondered what that felt like. How many times had he thought about being able to change the way things were? Given the chance he might be able to right so many wrongs. Perhaps, he wouldn't change what he was but he could change who he was. Different choices, different paths, they both could lead to different futures.

Ever since Brenda had come back he couldn't help but think about what could have been. What if he had never left her at the alter? What if he had fought harder for her, fought harder for himself? Such thoughts were a betrayal to the family and the life he had now. However, he could not stop his heart from aching for what it lost, for what it might still want.

A second chance at life, he thought, should not go to waste.

"I can help you," He offered, "if you'll let me."


	20. Chapter 20

**Flashfiction #160: Plans Change Part 20**

**Prompt: How to kill an elephant. **

He had not said anything when the two end tables and matching coffee table turned up last week. Nor had he mentioned the matching Tiffany lamps that had materialized days later on those end tables. The little white curtains at the kitchen had barely registered and he'd only given the three paintings propped on the mantle a passing glance and if he was eating off of different dishes that was fine. The green and brass banker's lamp that he had found on his desk just yesterday was nice, he had to admit and he did not mind the new fluffy burgundy towels that he found in his bathroom. But when he came home to find his living room furniture shoved back into the dining area, his pool table resided in, so Johnny and Max could lay a new area rug, he couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"What in the hell is going on around here?" Jason demanded tossing his keys on the desk.

Johnny dragged the back of his arm across his sweaty forehead after he and Max placed the heavy brown leather couch back in place. "Apparently, throwing out my back," he answered as he placed a hand at the small of his back and groaned as he stretched.

Brow furrowed, Jason looked around for signs of the two women he lived with and found not a single one. Shaking his head, he headed for the kitchen but stopped short when Sonny and Brenda emerged with his boss carrying a tray of iced tea. Jason was almost positive he had never seen the tray or those glasses before in his life.

"Jason," Sonny greeted with a nod as he set the tray down on a corner of the pool table.

"You're early," Brenda accused with a frown. "We were supposed to be done by the time you got home." She looked at Sonny with that same accusatory frown and tapped her foot as if waiting for an answer.

Seeing the look, Sonny turned to Jason and asked, "You get those shipments sorted out?"

"Yeah."

Sonny gave Brenda a shrug and leaned against the pool table as he sipped from his glass of tea. Jacket tossed aside, shirt unbuttoned at the neck and sleeves rolled up – not that he was doing any of the actual work – and his posture relaxed, at home even, looking as if it was normal for him to be here instead of at the warehouse where Jason had been for most of the day.

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked baffled and more than a little irritated that no one seemed the least been inclined to tell him what was happening in his own penthouse.

"Supervising," the older man replied with an easy grin.

Frustrated that everyone was acting so normally when he did not have a clue what was going on, Jason scowled at Brenda and asked, "Where's Elizabeth?"

"Upstairs," She answered waving a hand in the direction of the stairs.

He would have pressed for more detail but Francis came in the front door loaded down with bags and boxes further aggravating Jason. What exactly was going on around here and why did everyone else seem to know what was going – everyone but him that is?

"Where you want it?" Francis asked Brenda in his usual clipped manner.

"Bedroom at the end of the hall," She responded as she watched an argument start between Max and Johnny over exactly where the coffee table had been.

"I think it goes a little closer to the right," Max grumbled causing Johnny to curse and give the table a shove with his foot.

"Not that much," the big Italian guard protested nudging in back to the left a little.

"What is all this?" Jason growled his hands curled into fists at his sides.

The men only spared him a disinterested glance and went back to work. It was Brenda that finally took pity on him and said, "Elizabeth is nesting."

"Nesting?"

"Yeah, she's like a little momma bird making a nest for her baby chick," She explained. "I read about it in one of the pregnancy books Liz has lying around. You should give it a read yourself, Jase."

"Yeah. Great. I'll get right on it," He said dragging a hand through his hair. "So, she's decorating?" He asked trying to get a handle on the situation.

"Sort of," Brenda agreed.

"And this is Elizabeth and not you?"

"I am merely her assistant."

Jason doubted that very much, more like partner in crime. "So if Brenda's her assistant and Sonny's the supervisor, what are you guys?" He asked the guards with a little smirk.

"Labor," Johnny answered gruffly as he set an end table in place. "Forced labor."

"Not forced," Brenda corrected, "you volunteered."

"I was manipulated," Johnny argued. Glaring at Jason, he said, "It's all your fault too. You told us that Elizabeth was to have whatever she wanted. No one told me that would involve going to every furniture store in town and moving every piece of furniture you've got a dozen times – in one day."

"Aw, quit your bitchin'," Max snapped rolling his eyes.

"Shut up."

"He's gone soft," Max told them all. "Been on door duty too long and gone soft."

"One more word and I swear I'll shoot you," Johnny warned pointing a threatening finger at the other man, who, ironically, was one of his best friends. "And I still hit the range at least once a week."

"You're not getting blood on Elizabeth's new rug," Sonny chimed in from the other side of the room. "There'd be hell to pay then."

Johnny appeared with weigh that carefully before looking at Max and asking, "Care to take a ride then?"

They were all insane, Jason concluded tiredly as he drug a hand over his face. He heard a thump from the floor above and sighed heavily as he pivoted on his heel and headed for the stairs. Brenda caught his arm as he set foot on the first step. Glancing over his shoulder at her, he inwardly groaned, stepped back down and turned to face her.

"I have good news," She chirped with a bright little smile, the kind that said she was quite pleased with herself.

"You've decided you want me to commit you," He deadpanned.

"No, silly," She giggled. "I am finally getting out of your hair."

"You're leaving town?"

"No. Geez, are you that desperate to get rid of me?"

"Depends on the day and what you've done."

Rolling her eyes, Brenda said, "I'm moving out at the end of the month."

When that went over like a lead balloon, she sighed dramatically and said, "Sonny bought my cottage back from Nikolas. Nikolas didn't want to sell but Sonny convinced him, I think Max may have helped in that area, and told him that it was mine first."

"Nikolas still got all his teeth?" Jason asked.

"Yes!" She exclaimed in exasperation.

"Too bad," He responded with a shrug and started back up the stairs.

Brenda called after him. "You and Elizabeth have come a long way. Don't blow it."

Grunting in response, Jason continued to climb the stairs. He was not going to blow it. He had a ring burning a hole in his pocket for crying out loud. Well actually, it was in his sock drawer but the sentiment was the same. It was a very tasteful diamond solitaire in a platinum setting, with matching wedding bands. Now all he had to do was convince Elizabeth they were getting married.

However, until he figured out how to broach the subject it would remain an elephant in the room between them. The elephant that was sitting on his chest. One Elizabeth had no idea about, but it would be gnawing at him. As it had been since he had decided two weeks ago that they were getting married. All he had to do was find a way to state his case in a way that she could not and would not refuse.

How hard could that be?

Francis caught Elizabeth's arm and gently removed her from the vicinity of the stepladder. He was not about to let a woman eight months pregnant and the sorta girl friend of his gun toting boss get up on a rickety ladder to hang Winnie the Pooh curtains. Even if no harm came to her, if Jason found out, Francis would be fitted with his very own pair of cement shoes and tossed in the harbor for a nice swim with the fishes.

"Fran," Elizabeth sighed as he relinquished the curtains from her, "I think I can handle it."

"I'm sure you could." Removing his coat and handing it to her, he stepped up on the ladder, "you just aren't going to on my watch."

"You _could_ be putting together the crib," She told him with a wistful look at the beautiful white crib she had picked out, still in the box.

"That's for Jason to do."

"I doubt he'd care if someone took care of that small task for him," She responded as she stifled a yawn. It was well past her naptime. She just wanted to get it all done before Jason got home. A surprise for him, which she hoped he liked.

"He would," Francis argued from above her.

"But I want him to see the finished product." Sticking her lower lip out in a pout, she picked up a stuffed Tigger and hugged him to her. Maybe she should have gone with a different theme. Airplanes or farm animals or stars. At the time, Pooh had seemed like the best choice with its cool green and ivory tones, perfect for a boy or a girl. Brenda, Johnny and Francis had approved of the choice. She really should have looked around more. Jason may not even like Winnie the Pooh. Although, she didn't know anyone that did not like Pooh Bear.

"You should sit down and rest," Francis commented as he climbed down, moved the ladder to the next window and retrieved the next set of curtains.

"Hmm, maybe I will." Walking over to the padded rocker in the same green and ivory scheme, Elizabeth sat down with Tigger still in her arms.

That was just how Jason found them moments later. Elizabeth was slowly rocking back and forth in the car with her eyes half closed, a dreamy smile on her lips. So busy admiring her, Jason did not notice Francis fighting with the curtains up on the ladder. The curtains were winning and the usually unflappable guard was mumbling curses.

You could barely hear it but Elizabeth was humming one of those lullabies that people always did when they rocked a baby. She looked so peaceful and serene. Her cheeks were rosy from exertion and her chestnut hair was in a tumble down her back. He could not get over how beautiful she was. Never before had he understood what people meant by pregnant women glowing but Elizabeth did not just glow, she sparkled.

Francis finally caught Jason's attention as he descended the ladder having finally succeeded in hanging the last of the green-checked curtains. The guard grabbed his jacket off the skirted changing table, nodded to his boss and then slipped silently out the door. A smart man, that Francis, he knew precisely when to make himself scarce.

Looking around the room, Jason could tell they had been busy. The walls were a pale green and the baseboards a nice cream. Except for a crib that was still in the box, the room looked ready to welcome home their son or daughter. Everything was bright and shining new but comfortable looking. Not too cluttered but not too ordered either. The colors were light and airy. It was a nice room, he decided. If he was a baby he would like it, Jason imagined.

Finally, his eyes came back to Elizabeth and lingered. He should just go get the ring and propose right then. She looked like she was in a good mood, not ready to take his head off at least. The baby was going to be there before they knew it.

He should do it, he thought trying to psyche himself up. Go get the ring out of his bedroom, come back and wake her up with it. Kill that damn elephant once and for all. About to turn and do just that, he was stopped in his tracks when her eyes flickered open.

"Jason," She said softly, her voice thick with sleep.

"Hey," He responded shoving his hands in his pockets. Coward, he scolded himself.

"You weren't supposed to come home early. We aren't done."

"Want me to leave?"

"Don't be ridiculous," She told him, "you've already seen it."

"Yeah, I have."

Managing to get to her feet without too much trouble, she placed Tigger on a shelf with the rest of his friends and turned to look at him with expectant but apprehensive blue eyes. "So, what do you think?"

"It looks good."

She beamed but asked, "Are you sure you aren't just saying that?"

"I'm sure." To please her just as much to appease his sense of curiosity, Jason walked around the room. He checked to see if the changing table was level and tested its sturdiness, turned on the little lamp with a tubby yellow bear and a little pink pig on it casting the dresser in a halo of soft light before turning it off again. When he reached her, he ran a finger over the spines of leather bound children's books even as he smiled down at her.

"I like it," He told her earning another smile.

"Good," She nodded tilting her head back to look up at him. He was standing so close she didn't have a choice. Actually, she was feeling rather crowded and was not sure she liked it. There were some people that always seemed to take up all the space or air in a room and Jason was one of those people. He was just … it wasn't size, it was his presence, his energy. It was a little much to take sometimes. It always seemed to get her heart working overtime, the blood zinging through her veins in a way she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to and something in her gut knotted in apprehension or arousal, she wasn't sure which.

She licked her lips nervously as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. "Then you won't mind putting the crib together."

Jason regarded her with eyes that saw far too much and leaned in. He did not touch her but mere inches separated them. They were close enough that he could hear her heart beating and her quickened breath. Her hair smelled like strawberries. Gaze drifting to her full pink mouth, he watched as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and then looked back up into her eyes.

Elizabeth was sure he was about to kiss her. Absolutely positive of it. She was even more sure that she wanted him to. Wanted it more than her next breath.

When he bent his head close to hers, his breath whispering across her cheek and down her neck, she was started to tremble in anticipation. Her eyes closed and when he pushed her hair away from face and put his mouth to her ear, she thought her knees would give out.

His voice was husky and spoke to something deep within her. "Get me a screwdriver," He whispered and then backed up leaving her bereft.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanksgiving Day Special FlashFiction: Plans Change Part 21**

**Prompt: With My Eyes Closed **

Driving up the lane to the little cottage in the woods, Jax ground his teeth together instead of humming along to the radio. He never should have let Brenda stay at Harborview Towers with Morgan and his girlfriend. He should have known something like this would happen.

Brenda claimed she needed time to figure out what she wanted and like an idiot he had given it to her. Granted he had been distracted with Skye but he still should have called, sent flowers and little notes to let her know he was thinking of her. Now … now, she was firmly ensconced with Corinthos' circle of thugs and murderers.

Grave flew as he pulled into the driveway and slammed on the brakes. He climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind him. He had done exactly as she asked and what had that gotten him? Not a damn thing, that's what. Jax glared at Johnny, who was standing sentinel on the front porch, the same porch that he and Brenda had shared many a sunsets on the cushioned swing, with a bottle of wine and soft conversation. The guard did not even blink as Jax rang the doorbell and then knocked, impatient for the answers he sought.

When Brenda opened the door and saw who it was, her face split into a delighted grin. Jax scowled. "Jax," She exclaimed clearly surprised and pleased to see him, "come in."

He stepped into the home he had once shared with her and looked around. The last time he had been there, he had been shot in the back. While he might understand her need to live there, it brought some unsettling memories for him.

"I'd offer you a drink or at least a chair but as you can see," Brenda said gesturing to the empty room, "I don't have either one."

"That's fine," He responded gruffly.

"I was just looking around, seeing what needs to be done before I move in. It's been quite some time since Nikolas lived here and you can tell by the five inches of dust on everything."

Jax nodded as if in complete understanding but inside he was simmering with anger just barely contained. It was unbelievable the way she pretended nothing out of the ordinary was going on. As if everything was just hunky-dory and he was a friend stopping by for a friendly visit. Well, he everything was not fine and he wasn't feeling very friendly.

"Were you ever going to tell me you were moving?" He asked bitterly.

As if taken aback by the question Brenda's smile faltered and then fell. "Of course I was."

The hurt in her voice was not lost on him but Jax refused to be swayed by it. He was the one that had been wronged here. Brenda had dismissed him from her life without even a goodbye. "I wouldn't have even known if I hadn't contacted Nikolas about buying this place from him."

"Oh," She replied looking uncomfortable.

"Imagine my surprise when Nikolas told me that Sonny already bought it – for you."

"I – I should have told you. Everything just happened so fast. One minute I was talking to Sonny on the docks about how I needed to move on with my life and then next he was handing me the deed and keys to the house. Then Jason and Elizabeth …."

"It's always something with Sonny and his lackey isn't it?"

Looking hurt again Brenda said, "I've never known you to be intentionally mean, Jax. I was just telling you what has been going on in my life."

"Not your life, Sonny and Jason's lives. Once again your whole world revolves around Corinthos."

"It does not!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jax demanded, "Okay, then what have you been doing with your time?"

"I've been helping Elizabeth get ready for the baby. She's due next month and she had absolutely nothing. Not even a single diaper or bottle."

"So Morgan's girlfriend is your best friend now?" Jax snorted distastefully. If it wasn't Sonny then it was Jason. He didn't understand what Brenda found so appealing about Port Charles resident mobsters.

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't have many friends around here anymore. Lois and Robin are long gone. Elizabeth is the first person I've really connected with since I got back."

"That makes me feel really good Brenda, to know I, what we had, means so little to you."

"That's not what I meant. It's just … different," She responded. "Elizabeth didn't know me before I went over that cliff. She knows the me now. She doesn't have any expectations."

"And you think I do?"

"That's all you have, Jax. You want me to be like I was, like we were. I wanted that too. At least, I thought I did."

"What are you saying here, Brenda? Are you just giving up on us?"

"I realized that we are two very different people, what we had is gone and we can't get back no matter how much we want to," She told him, her voice held a note of pleading, for him to understand or at least try to, as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"And you just expect me to accept this?" He asked, his voice rising in decibel as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Do you realize what I've given up for you? I divorced Skye not even a two months after we were married so I could be with you."

"I know and I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" He repeated giving her a little shake. "Sorry does not even begin to cut it."

Nodding in understanding, Brenda said, "At least you are getting another chance with Skye. I couldn't have ruined everything."

Releasing her suddenly, Jax stepped back to stare at her as if she had just grown two heads. "What are you talking about?"

"I've seen you with Skye," She replied rubbing her arms where he'd held her. "I went to see you at the lake house and Skye was there. I saw you two … embracing."

"And you jumped to conclusions about that embrace?"

"No. Yes. I don't know."

Running a hand through his hair, Jax shook his head. "You have to tell me what you want. You said you wanted time, I gave you time. You said you wanted us to have a life together yet you move in here without even letting me know. What is going on, I really want to know?"

Brenda wished she had a crystal ball and the ability to look into it and see the future. She still had no idea what she wanted. All she did know was that she wanted a fresh start. Maybe she was going about it the wrong way but she was doing the best she could. It had occurred to her that leaving Port Charles would make a new beginning easier but it was home. She wanted to be with the people she loved. Those people included Jax, Sonny, and now, Jason and Elizabeth. She wanted to be there when the newest Morgan made his or her way into the world. She desperately wanted to see Jason and Elizabeth find their way to each other and a way to be a family. She wanted to have tea parties with Lila out in the rose garden, argue with Edward about whatever they could find to bicker about and tease Ned mercilessly about anything she could.

Call her silly, but she really wanted to get a job and live like a normal person. You know, except with the bodyguards and a car and driver at her beck and call. There were a lot of things that she wanted, some of them she probably couldn't have but she couldn't tell Jax exactly what it was that she wanted right then. He would just have to settle for what she wanted for him.

"I want you to take this second chance with Skye and see how it goes. You obviously love her. You loved her enough to put what we had in the past and marry her. Remember that. Remember how it felt. I want you to be happy."

Shaking his head in denial, Jax said, "You don't understand. Skye's found herself in some trouble and I am just helping her out. There is nothing between us anymore."

"You're wrong," Brenda countered. "Open your eyes and see what is in front of you."

Jason walked beside her as they walked along the docks. Elizabeth was drinking hot chocolate from Kelly's as a treat after a doctor's appointment with Dr. Meadows. She hated hospitals and she figured that if she had to be a good little patient that she deserved a chocolaty reward. With whipped cream and extra sprinkles, it was vital to remember the whipped cream and sprinkles.

She knew Jason was practically having kittens because she insisted on taking a little stroll on the docks, out in the open, like a couple of sitting ducks. She liked the water though and had been cooped up in the penthouse far too long for her liking. She just wanted a little fresh air. It wasn't a crime.

They were silent but it was a companionable silence. Jason wished he could enjoy the moment but he was too busy thinking about the baby. Elizabeth's blood pressure was still a little high. Dr. Meadows hadn't seemed too troubled with that but Jason was. He wasn't willing to take any chances with Elizabeth or their child.

Sighing in pleasure as she finished off the last of her treat, Elizabeth tossed the empty cup in a trashcan as they passed. "Okay, we can go home now," She announced with a grin.

Jason was just about to respond when there was a pop and wood splintered not a foot from where they were standing. Immediately he grabbed Elizabeth and put her behind him. Another bullet hit the banister just above her head.

As she shrieked, Jason shoved her to the ground. "Stay down," He commanded reaching for his gun but coming up empty. He remembered that he left it at the penthouse since GH frowned upon having armed people walking their hallways.

He covered her with his body as bullets continued to hail down on them for somewhere high above them. He kept her in the corner by the stairs using it as some protection and used his body to further shield her. When he wasn't cursing a blue streak, he was praying that this would be over soon.

Why hadn't he been paying attention?


	22. Chapter 22

**Flashfiction #161: Plans Change Part 22**

**Prompt: Dean Martin **

A hail of bullets rained down on them and Jason hissed when one grazed his right bicep, tearing through his leather jacket and sweater to bite into the skin beneath. He ignored the stinging pain; he'd had worse, and concentrated on protecting Elizabeth. He could feel her trembling behind him but he couldn't worry about the fear, hers or his, he had to get her out of there unscathed.

Where in the hell where in the hell Francis was? He had sent him for the car ten minutes ago. How long did it take to find a fucking limo? It wasn't like you could lose one of those in a parking lot no matter what the size. Jason's only hope was the Francis got his ass over there and fast.

Blood was running down his arm but Jason knew the wound was only superficial, a scratch. Nothing a Band-Aid wouldn't take care of once they got the hell out of there. When a flowerpot exploded on the landing above them, Elizabeth made a muted squeaking sound and buried her face in Jason's chest as he tried his best to cocoon her with his body.

If it was just him, he would chance making a run for it but there was no way you could move very fast with an eight-month pregnant woman in tow. The fact that it was even happening at all pissed him the fuck off.

"Jason," Elizabeth whispered.

"Stay down," He responded as another bullet whizzed past his head.

"Jason!"

Hazarding a glance, Jason saw that Francis had finally decided to make his entrance. "Get us out of here," He ordered.

With his gun drawn, Francis scanned the area from around the corner, looking for the shooter. Obviously a sniper, they could be on any roof top in the area with a high powered rifle. It seemed like the bullets were coming from every direction making it nearly impossible to tell where they originated. Narrowing his eyes, Francis made the most educated guess he could considering the situation and decided that the blacked out window of an abandoned warehouse to the right was the best bet. He shot several rounds in that direction and prayed that he had guessed right.

He must have been close because the onslaught stopped or at the very least paused. "Get her out of here," Francis yelled as he reloaded. "I'll cover you."

As much as Jason wanted to get Elizabeth to safety, he was afraid to move. What if that was what the shooter was waiting for? The very second they moved, they'd get a shot off.

"Move it, Jason!"

Knowing it was now or never, Jason wrapped an arm around Elizabeth's waist to help her to her feet so they could run and told her, "You stay with me, okay?"

"Okay," She agreed clinging to him. Never in her life had she been more afraid. All she'd wanted was a little fresh air, getting shot at was never part of the equation.

"Jason!"

"Let's go," He told her as he leapt to his feet, hauling her with him and all but pushed her up the stairs.

Francis fired off a few rounds as Jason half-carried Elizabeth towards safety. The limo sat at the curb, the motor running, so that all Jason had to do was shove Elizabeth in the back and jump in after her. Francis came running and jumped in the driver's seat, not even bothering to close the door all the way before pulling away from the curb with tires screaming.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked checking her over in the backseat. If he wasn't so pissed he would be completely terrified. As it was his hands were shaking like they never had before and he thought he was going to throw up.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth said trying to push him away. "Except for the whole being shot at," She yelled shoving at his shoulder. When her hand came away bloody, she stared at it for a moment as if she had never seen blood before in her life. "Oh my God! Jason you're bleeding."

It was his turn to try to shrug her off then as she tried to get a good look at the wound. "It's nothing. A graze," He told her.

"You're bleeding, that is not nothing."

"I've had worse," He replied and then lowered the divider so he could speak with Francis. "Take us back to GH so Elizabeth can get checked out."

"I'm fine," She shouted. "Francis, take us back to the penthouse."

"The hospital," Jason countered.

"He is _my_ guard," She reminded him, "he's supposed to listen to me."

"Yeah, but he answers to me. I overrule you." Elizabeth glared at him as if she would like nothing more than to punch him in the nose. He stared right back as he said, "Francis take us to GH."

When Elizabeth crossed her arms defiantly but otherwise kept her mouth shut, Francis said, "You got it boss."

**Kelly's: **

Dean Martin was playing on the jukebox, the smell of brownies was wafting in from the kitchen and Brenda was devouring a plate of chili-cheese fries like she hadn't eaten in a week. She'd had dreams about these fries, composed songs about them and even considered having a statue built to honor them. She figured she had earned them too, with having to formally break things off with Jax and send him back to his ex-wife. It was the right thing to do but that did not make it any easier.

Tempted to call Elizabeth and tell her to waddle her cute pregnant butt down to the diner so they could chat over some fries, Brenda pulled out her cell phone and then thought better of it. If Jason wasn't a complete moron, he would have figured out a way to spend a little time with his lady love after her doctor's appointment. She was not going to chance breaking up some sort of bonding moment between them just because she was lonely and the need of a little girl talk.

Shoving another cheese covered fry in her mouth, Brenda propped her chin on her hand and chewed thoughtfully. She didn't know what she was going to do with her favorite ex-husband and her newest friend. They were probably a lost cause but she couldn't help but want to see someone happy. If anyone deserved a little happiness, it was Jason. Maybe it would help him relax a little bit. The man was just too tense and serious all the time. If they gave gold medals for brooding, Jason Morgan would have about ten of them.

Sure, Elizabeth was as prickly as a briar patch but she had a good heart. She'd keep Jason on his toes and he really needed someone who would make him laugh just as often as she made him mad. Besides, he was head over heels in love with her.

The situation wasn't the best but Brenda had seen worse. After all, Elizabeth could wear a wire or try to force him into the witness protection program. All that really had to happen was for Elizabeth to let Jason in just a little and for him to not blow it when she did. Actually, Brenda was pretty sure he would blow it. He was a man after all.

"May I join you?"

Looking up, Brenda was caught off guard, as she always was when she saw him, to see Lorenzo Alcazar standing beside her table. "Sure, why not," She told him, gesturing to the empty chair across from her.

Lorenzo sat and removed his brown leather gloves, laying them on the table beside him. "So what's good here?" He asked picking up a menu.

"I highly recommend the cheese fries but Kelly's is known for their chili."

"Hot?"

"You bet."

Lorenzo nodded as he scanned the menu. The waitress approached with a smile and Lorenzo ordered a bowl of chili and a cup of coffee making Brenda smile. Lorenzo Alcazar didn't strike her as a chili kind of guy. As a matter of fact, he didn't really seem like the diner type either. "So how are you enjoying Port Charles?" She asked.

"It has its charms," He replied with an enigmatic smile. "But we both know that isn't really what you want to ask me."

Raising a brow, Brenda asked, "And just what is it that you think I want to know?"

Still smiling, he said, "You want to know if I've found out who murdered Luis."

Neither confirming nor denying, Brenda shrugged instead. "Have you?"

As the waitress returned with his coffee, Lorenzo waited for her to leave before saying, "Let's just say I'm making progress."

Pursing her lips, Brenda thought about that for a moment. "That's good. How is your niece doing?"

A shadow passed over his face and the smile he wore faded to be replaced with a rather somber frown. "Sage is still very upset. She feels that her father was taken from her before they ever really got a change to know each other."

Nodding in understanding, Brenda picked up another fry and popped it in her mouth. Never close to her own father, she felt for Luis' daughter even though she had never met her. She supposed that alone said something for Luis's relationship with his daughter. It was sad.

The door opened letting in a frigid blast of air and Brenda glanced up to see Skye Chandler-Quartermaine entering the diner. Holding no ill will towards the redhead, Brenda smiled in greeting. Skye nodded coolly but when she saw Brenda's dining companion, stopped in her tracks as if she had just seen a ghost.

Brenda knew how that felt. She still got a jolt every time she saw Lorenzo. For a split second, she always believed he was Luis. However, it was entertaining to watch other people see him for the first time. It rather was like seeing a ghost. You tended to question your sanity at first. She knew she had.

She watched as Lorenzo turned and looked at Skye, a little smirk playing at his lips. Skye seemed to grow even paler as she came face to face with him. It made Brenda wonder what exactly was going on between the two.

Jax said that Skye was in trouble for some sort and he was trying to help her. Lorenzo was in town for the sole reason of finding the person that sent Luis over the railing of his hotel room. Brenda supposed it was possible that they had run into each other somewhere in town but that didn't explain the looks they were sending each other. Skye was just plain terrified.

It was then that it hit her. Lorenzo said there had been a woman with Luis the night he died. Jax said Skye was in trouble, most likely serious trouble. Skye was the woman Luis had been with, Brenda thought with a gasp.

Could she have pushed him to his death?


	23. Chapter 23

**Flashfiction #162: Plans Change 23**

**Prompt: We have a pulse! **

"I do not need to see the doctor again," Elizabeth protested as Jason and Francis escorted her off the elevator and towards the nurse's station. "We just saw her an hour ago. Paranoid much?"

Both men shared a look and then continued to ignore her. There was nothing that annoyed her more than to be ignored. Her parents had made it into an art form and if Jason thought he was going to follow suit, he had another thing coming. Oh, she had been quite agreeable as of late but all that could change and change really quickly.

"Jason," a blond woman in a white lab coat called as she hurried towards them. Elizabeth assessed her quickly and found that she was a rather attractive older woman. She could only hope she looked that good when she was that age. Whoever she was, she looked competent and more than at home in her surroundings.

"Monica," Jason greeted stiffly and without a hint of a smile.

The woman's smile faltered at his clipped tone but she recovered well enough. "Is everything okay?" She asked eyeing Elizabeth speculatively.

Used to the looks, Elizabeth simply smiled politely as she waited to see what Jason would do. Would he bother to introduce them or ignore the unasked questions in the doctor's eyes? She did not have to wait long for her answer.

"Everything's fine," He answered in the same formal tone. Turning to Elizabeth, he said, "This is my mother, Monica Quartermaine."

When he didn't trouble himself with introducing her, Elizabeth rolled her eyes and took the reins. "Hi, I'm Elizabeth Webber."

"It's nice to meet you Elizabeth," Monica replied with a kind smile but couldn't help but stare at Elizabeth protruding stomach.

"Jason and I are having a baby," Elizabeth shared and not even that got a reaction out of him. However, Monica looked like a truck had just hit her.

"T-that's wonderful," Monica said clearly thrown off kilter by the news but trying desperately not to show it. "Congratulations."

Elizabeth felt sorry for her. How could Jason not even tell his mother he was going to be a father? Granted she had absolutely no room to talk but then again, they weren't going to have any awkward run-ins with her parents around town. Sometimes she really wondered what exactly went through that man's head.

"Thank you," Jason replied as he inclined his head. "Do you know if Dr. Meadows is around?"

Elizabeth felt like kicking him but her advanced pregnancy didn't allow her such things. If she tried it, she would probably loose her balance and fall on her ass. His mother obviously cared about him and he was acting as if he had just met her yesterday. Couldn't he see how much his coldness hurt her?

"Actually, Jason needs a doctor as well," She told Dr. Quartermaine. "He has a _scratch_ on his arm that might need stitches. I don't know because he wouldn't let me look at it."

"I'm fine," Jason ground out as he glared at her.

With challenging glint in her eye, Elizabeth said, "You want me to get checked out, then you have to get your arm looked at."

One look at her defiant stance and the hard set of her eyes and he knew he didn't have a choice in the matter. She was going to make an issue of this and when she decided to dig her heels in, there was no moving her. Oh, and she would make a scene. Elizabeth didn't care who saw or heard her when she was intent on making a point or getting her way.

"Fine," He said.

Elizabeth smiled and then glanced over at Monica. "I'm sure you have more than enough experience patching him up, I'll let you deal with him." Returning to Jason, she said, "If you're a good boy, I bet your mommy will give you a lollipop."

Francis actually snickered but did his level best - however unsuccessfully, to cover it with a cough.

Monica gaped at Elizabeth for a moment before she collected herself and said, "Why don't you come with me and we'll take care of that arm."

Jason did not know whether to be embarrassed or amused. He supposed this was just part of loving Elizabeth. She was crazy. She often said things she shouldn't and seemed to take perverted pleasure in aggravating him. On second thought, maybe he was the crazy one because he actually liked all those things about her. He smiled crookedly at her, amusement winning out.

Still steamed at him for ordering her around as if she was one of his employees, Elizabeth glared at him and tried to take no notice of the flutter in her heart. If she was lucky, Jason would never figure out that the boyish smile he was currently bestowing her with really got to her. She was pretty sure it had been one of the deciding factors in her going to bed with him in the first place.

"Jason," Monica prodded when he just stood there, smiling at Elizabeth with a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. It was then that she realized that he was in love with Elizabeth and not at all sure of himself because of it. It was rather silly but she felt tears spring to her eyes. Her little boy was in love and about to be a father. It made her so happy and a little sad. Sad because she felt so estranged from him and his life. It wasn't a new feeling but one that really hit home at times like these.

"Yeah," He said with a shake of his head as if he had to clear it. "I'll be right back," He told Elizabeth and then nodded at Francis in a silent, but unnecessary, order to stay with her.

"We'll be here," She replied and then let Francis guide her towards the waiting area. About halfway there she stopped in her tracks, an odd look crossing her face. 

"Elizabeth?" Francis inquired with a frown of concern.

"Oh," She gasps as she doubled over in pain, grasping her abdomen with both hands.

"Oh shit!" Francis growled as he looked around for help.

At that moment Jason happened to turn around and when he saw Elizabeth bent over, holding her stomach and face contorted in pain, his heart jumped into his throat. "Elizabeth," He said in a strangled whisper as he took off running towards her.

Monica sprang into action as well, getting a wheelchair and then dashing to the nurse's station to page Dr. Meadows.

"Jason," Elizabeth whimpered when he reached her. "Something's wrong with the baby."

"Shh," He said softly as he wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "It's going to be okay."

"I should have listened to you," She told him as a nurse helped her into a wheelchair and then started taking her away.

Feeling helpless and more than a little scared, Jason followed behind. Francis was with him but Jason couldn't see anything but Elizabeth. His chest felt tight, like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't lose them. Not either of them.

"Jason," Monica said as she ran to catch up with them. "Dr. Meadows is in a delivery right now. I need you to tell me everything you can about Elizabeth's condition. How far along is she? Have there been any problems during her pregnancy? As much as you can tell me."

Running a hand through his hair, Jason had to focus on the simple and usually involuntary task of breathing. "She's thirty-seven weeks. We just saw the doctor today and she said everything looked good. Elizabeth – Elizabeth's has had some problems with high blood pressure."

"Okay," Monica nodded as they entered a room. Elizabeth was already curled on the bed, obviously still in pain and crying with such force her whole body shook. "Let's get a fetal monitor hooked up and a sonogram machine in here."

The nurses rushed to do as ordered, as Jason stood just inside the doorway, immobile and powerless. He wasn't having as much trouble breathing but his arms and legs were starting to feel numb, paralyzed by fear. He could taste it, acidic and biting in his mouth, churning in his stomach and clouding his senses.

He'd heard of people bargaining with God in times of great distress. He would have been tempted to try it but he had nothing to bargain with for he had already sold his soul to the devil. He could promise to change but both he and God knew it would be a worthless pledge.

Closing his eyes, Jason tried to reason with the Man upstairs. He did not ask for himself but for Elizabeth and their unborn child. There was no reason that they should pay for his mistakes. It didn't take a genius to deduce that this was happening because of him. Getting shot at on the docks when all she wanted was a little fresh air did not do anything to reduce her stress level. He had practically thrown her to the ground, which could not be good for the baby.

It was his fault.

He was going to lose one, maybe even both of them and it was all his fault.

The doctor's managed to slow the contractions but not stop them. Elizabeth's blood pressure had been high but they were getting it under control. She was calmer but you could see the strain was wearing on her as she lay perfectly still in the hospital bed, wearing one of those thin white gowns and rubbing her hands over her stomach as she moved her lips in a silent plea for her baby.

Jason sat nearby, his face a stony mask of unconcern although, he felt anything but. He was a mess of nerves but he was trying to put on a brave face for Elizabeth. She was scared and even though he was too, he had to stay calm so that she wouldn't start feeding off him and get even more worked up.

On the other side of the bed, a machine monitored the baby's heartbeat. Jason kept his eyes locked on the paper feed-out, the jagged black lines representing every thump of his son or daughter's heart.

This was not how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to have a few more weeks to work on his relationship with Elizabeth. As of right now, they didn't have a relationship. He couldn't even call them friends. Yet, there they were. She could have the baby at any moment and they were not any closer to being together than they were four months ago when he had come home.

That stupid diamond engagement ring was still in his sock drawer, mocking him every morning when he saw the blue velvet box. Still no closer to asking her to marry him and make a family with him, he felt like he had missed every opportunity with her. If he just find the words to tell her how he felt or even a way to show her that he loved her and wanted to be with her …. It was too late for all of that now.

What if she didn't make it?

What if the baby didn't make it?

These thoughts plagued him, not for the first time but more frequently. As every second ticked by, he was reminded that he could lose everything he had ever wanted. She was sitting in the bed in front of him, unknowingly holding his heart and whole future in her tiny, artistic hands.

She may not like him all the time or even most of the time but for some reason he kept telling himself that there was something real between them. That they had a chance if they would just quit dancing around each other and picking fights over stupid things. If he could just fucking get out of his own way and quit pissing her off by being controlling and possessive.

The monitor beeped causing them both to look at it as if it was a snake about to strike. Elizabeth turned to look at him, her eyes wide and frightened, needing him to tell her that everything was fine. Then an alarm went off. The lines on the paper spit from the machine were much higher.

Jason was startled when Elizabeth gripped one of his hands in both of hers. "Jason, I need you to promise me something."

"Elizabeth, I …"

"No, I need you to promise me that if something goes wrong –," She trailed off as emotion clogged her throat and the contractions started again, this time much stronger. Swallowing with some effort, she took a deep breath and then released it before trying it again. "If something goes wrong and you have to make a choice, I want you to save the baby."

"Elizabeth," He sighed not wanting to even consider such a thing. He would never be able to chose, not between the woman he loved and the child they had created together. He loved them both. He wanted them both. He shouldn't have to chose one or the other. A life without both of them was one he could not even begin to think of facing.

Squeezing his hand, she pled with him using her eyes. "I need you to promise."

He watched the monitor as the baby's heart rate spiked and another contraction hit Elizabeth. "Jason," She moaned.

There was no time to answer her as two nurses and Dr. Meadows entered the room. They all but shoved Jason to the side as they put up the rails of the bed and prepared to move Elizabeth. Dr. Meadows looked at the read outs and shook her head.

"Elizabeth, I'm afraid the baby is in trouble."

"What? What's going on?" Elizabeth asked her voice higher than normal as panic seized her.

Jason jumped to his feet and went to stand by Elizabeth. He held out his hand, which she quickly took, as she began to cry again. Dr. Meadows wasted no time in explaining that the baby's was experiencing some fetal distress. They had no choice but to get the baby out as soon as possible. A c-section was the fastest way and they had already discussed doing one since Elizabeth was so small.

Jason watched as Elizabeth was once again wheeled away from him. This time he could not go with them. Francis stayed where he was, right beside the door where he had been standing sentinel since they had place Elizabeth in that room.

Aware of the guard, Jason said, "Emergency c-section."

Francis grunted in response unable to find the words, if there were any, to suit the situation. He was worried about Elizabeth and the baby but it wasn't something to trouble Jason with. His worries were his and it was not in his job description to share those with his boss. Instead, he asked, "What floor?"

"Sixth."

"Then let's get up there."

Elizabeth was conscious for the procedure but instead of the baby coming out red-faced and screaming like she had anticipated, she was silent and tinged with blue. Yes, _she_. She had a daughter.

The nurse's took her away and gathered around the newborn, shouting out orders and rushing around the room to get things. "W-what's going on?" Elizabeth asked. She didn't understand what was going on.

"Elizabeth," Dr. Meadows said soothingly. "The baby is –"

"We've got a pulse," one of the nurse shouted.

"A pulse!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Her daughter hadn't had a pulse. "What's wrong with my baby?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Flashfiction #163: Plans Change Part 24**

**Prompt: The Golden Phallus**

**Kelly's:**

Brenda sat numb with realization. She did not even blink as she stared in mute shock at Luis' murderess. The very last person she ever would have expected, Jax's ex-wife, Skye Chandler-Quartermaine. It was more than she could wrap her mind around.

Her first instinct was abject denial. Skye would never, ever, kill anyone. Sure, she had a tough exterior but who didn't in this town? You had to be tough if you wanted to survive. Brenda wished she had realized that particular life lesson earlier. Shaking her head to clear it, she tried to focus on the matter at hand. Skye very likely killed Luis and Lorenzo knew.

No wonder Jax thought Skye was in trouble and in need of help.

Helplessly, she watched Skye gather herself from her frozen position, tear her frightened gaze from Luis' doppelganger and then flee from the diner.

Lorenzo turned around and smiled a cat that just ate the canary grin that sealed the deal for Brenda. She knew the truth and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Skye was in deep shit. Up to it up to the top of her pretty, redhead and needed more help than Jax could provide.

Oh, he could get her the best lawyer around, Alexis Davis most likely, but that would only keep the police at bay. Nothing would stop Lorenzo though, she had seen that the day she had visited him in his room at the Port Charles Hotel. He wanted his brother's killer. He wanted justice, not only for himself but also for his niece. Jax was no competition for the man sitting across from her.

A tight knot formed in her stomach and suddenly her cheese fries weren't sitting so well. Shoving the plate away and then looked up at her dining companion. He was calmly eating his chili as if nothing had happened. She had no idea what to make of this man who looked so much like Luis but acted nothing like him. Luis had been a hot head; let his emotions overrule his sense. Lorenzo did not. She had thought him a cool customer the first time she had bothered to see him and not the ghost of his brother. Now she knew he was more than just cool, he was ice cold and calculating in a way that left her breathless.

Since she had made no attempt to hide her interested stare, Brenda wasn't surprised when Lorenzo met her gaze and laid his spoon aside. "I see that you've put the pieces together."

"Y-you can't possibly believe –"

"I more than believe, I know," He responded with a solemn frown. "I am not the only one either. The police, while slow, are aware and merely gathering their evidence before making their move."

"And what are you waiting for?" She asked before thinking. There was no way Lorenzo was going to share his plans with her. A silly, pointless question that she kicked herself for even uttering. One of these days, she really was going to have to learn to think before she spoke.

"I am not my brother," He answered, his voice taking on a lethal edge that sent a shiver down her spine. "I do nothing without thinking it through."

"You mean you want to toy with her first, like a cat with a mouse? The cat knows he will win but enjoys torturing the poor mouse before killing it."

"Would you prefer I make it quick? I can't promise it will be painless."

Her breath caught in her chest and her hands curled into fists in her lap. This was not right. She was not capable of handling this on her own. Sonny, she thought, she should go to Sonny. He would know what to do. But would he care, she asked herself. He had no use for the Quartermaine's or their problems as long as they didn't affect him. Jason, she wondered but quickly discarded the idea. He definitely wouldn't care, especially since this was Skye. He hated the woman that for intents and purposes had crippled Emily. Jason would never forgive her for that, not for hurting his little sister, however unintentional it had been.

"I-I have to go," Brenda stammered as she leapt to her feet and pulled her coat off the back of the chair. As if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, she rushed from the dinner and in doing so, almost collided with Jax in the courtyard.

"Brenda?" Jax asked in concern as his hands went to shoulders to steady her. "What's wrong?"

Her mouth opened but no words would come out. Her brain seemed to have seized up and refused to work. Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, was all she seemed capable of thinking. It was just like when she thought she was losing her grip on reality. Her mental facilities were not all there and everything seemed to be moving to fast for her. She was in a fog and – and oh damn, she was going to cry.

Slumping against the solid wall of Jax's chest for a moment, Brenda tried valiantly to get her emotions under control. There was no need for tears. They would not help anything. Drawing in a shaky breath, she pulled away from him with a sniffle.

"What happened?" Jax demanded looking her over for any sign of injury.

_What happened_! He wanted to know what happened. Just as suddenly as the urge to cry had hit, she shifted at once to anger. The big blond, Aussie idiot had kept her in the dark and now she was into this up to her eyeballs and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She hated feeling powerless, had spent the past few years feeling nothing but weak and useless. Curling her hand into a fist, Brenda knocked him in the shoulder. "You're a first class dick! Why in the hell didn't you tell me that Skye killed –"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as Jax grabbed her and clamped his hand over her mouth. "Jesus, Brenda, we're in public."

Chocolate brown eyes narrowed into slits as she dug her manicured nails into his hand hard enough to draw blood causing him to release her. "Don't you dare lecture me!"

Jax simply glowered at her, which only fueled her anger. "You know what, fine. Keep your secrets and see how far it gets you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

With a glare, Brenda said, "Tell your wife that if she wants to maintain her innocence she can't flip out every time she sets eyes on Lorenzo Alcazar."

"What? When did she see Alcazar?" Jax asked clearly in a panic.

"Just now," She replied jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "Took one look at Lorenzo and went as white as a sheet then turned tail and ran. Very inconspicuous."

"Brenda!" Johnny exclaimed as he strode into the courtyard with a dark and forbidding expression clouding his handsome features.

Brenda winced, so much for her promise to sit quietly at her little table in the dinner and eat her cheese fries while he took an important phone call. Judging by the amount of time Johnny had been gone it must have been one hell of a long call. "Um, I need some air," She said lamely.

He had never hit a woman in his life. Lord knew he had wanted to a time or two but never as much as he did at this moment. At the very least, he wanted to tie her up and toss her in a closet. There had to be an empty one at Jason's that would suit well enough. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to dither around with Brenda. "Never mind, we've got to go."

Brenda scowled as her bodyguard grabbed her by the arm and started leading her towards the alley where the car was parked. "Hey, what do you think you are doing?"

"My job."

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she said, "It's not like I went far, like two feet from the door."

Johnny shoved her in the car and then jogged around to slide in the driver's seat. "Fine. Whatever. We've got to meet Sonny at the hospital."

"The hospital?" Brenda asked feeling sick to her stomach once again. "What happened? Is Sonny okay?"

"Yeah, he's just peachy but Elizabeth went into labor."

Putting a hand to her head to stop the spinning, Brenda groaned. This day was just not going her way. After taking a moment to process, she said, "She still has a couple weeks to go. What happened?"

Shrugging, Johnny said, "I don't know, I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Slumping in her seat, Brenda chewed on her lower lip. She hoped Elizabeth and the baby were okay. "Where's Jason? Is he there?"

"Yeah, Francis said he's wearing a path in the floor."

"Jason doesn't pace."

Johnny exchanged a worried glance with her. "I know."

Sinking further down in her seat, Brenda tried not to think of what that might mean. "Could you drive a little faster?" She asked when he started to slow at a yellow light.

Johnny didn't say anything in response just pressed his foot firmly down on the accelerator and sped through the light just as it turned red. He felt the need to hurry as as much as she did. Who knew what awaited them at the hospital.

As he drove, Johnny murmured a quick prayer under his breath for Elizabeth, the baby and Jason. May the lord have mercy on them all.

**General Hospital: **

Watching as a nurse left the room with her baby, Elizabeth felt the first tear slip from the corner of her eye and slide down her cheek leaving a hot trail in its wake. "My baby," She sobbed, "where are you taking my baby?"

"Elizabeth, we need you to calm down," Dr. Meadows told her from behind her mask.

Calm down? She couldn't calm down. They took her baby, her little girl. She hadn't gotten to see her or hold her. Oh God, there was something wrong with her baby. The little girl that had rested under her heart for not quite nine months and talked to and - and fell in love with.

Unable to take it anymore, Elizabeth succumbed to the tears she had been trying to stem. She couldn't feel anything but emptiness. She was so cold, so alone. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that Dr. Meadows was speaking to her but the words could not permeate the haze of fear that surrounded her.

She wanted to curl up and die right there on the operating table.

Her baby.

Oh, her baby.

"Elizabeth," Dr. Meadows prodded trying to pull her out of her daze.

"I want Jason," Elizabeth wailed.


	25. Chapter 25

**Flashfiction #164: Plans Change Part 25**

**Prompt: Decadence isn't easy **

When the elevator doors opened on the Maternity floor, Brenda dashed off with Johnny loping faithfully behind her. Glancing around for a familiar face, Brenda skidded to a halt in front of the nurse's station, panting and trying to catch her breath.

"E-lizabeth Webber," She said nursing a stitch in her side. They really shouldn't have run from the parking lot.

"Just a moment," the nurse in pink scrubs said as she checked the computer.

"Brenda," Sonny called quietly as he came from around the corner.

"Never mind," Brenda told the nurse. "Thank you," She added over her shoulder as she went to meet Sonny. "How is she? Where's Jason? Is the baby okay?"

Sonny shook his head to stop the stream of questions and took her by the arm to lead her over to a corner where they could speak quietly.

Although, she went willing with him, his silence was scaring her. "Sonny, what's going on?"

"Jason and Elizabeth were shot at on the docks."

"Oh, no!"

"No one was hurt but they came back to the hospital just to be safe and Elizabeth went into labor once they got here. They were able to slow her contractions but not stop them," Sonny continued in a strained whisper. "From what I've gathered from Jason," and that hadn't been easy given the distress his enforcer was currently in, "they had to do an emergency c-section when the baby started experiencing some signs of distress. We haven't heard anything yet."

Brenda stared at him as if he was speaking some language she didn't understand. Shot at, going into early labor, and then an emergency c-section; it was just too much. Fearfully, she griped Sonny's wrists. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

The lie was on the tip of his tongue but for once, he told the truth, "I don't know."

"W-what about Jason? Where is he?"

At any other time, the answer would have been the source of some amusement but not today. "Pacing the hallway outside the delivery room."

Checking his watch for what felt like the ten millionth time, Jason continued to ignore Francis' watchful gaze, he didn't need a fucking babysitter, he snarled internally and paced.

It had been approximately twenty minutes and forty-three seconds since Elizabeth had been wheeled past those double doors and into the delivery room. A nurse in blue scrubs had stopped him from following them in and he was forced to stand out there while he went out of his mind.

Twenty-one minutes and five seconds.

He would give them three minutes and fifty-five seconds more to come tell him something, anything, and then, he was going in there. Let them call security. He wasn't going to stand out in the hallway while Elizabeth and their baby needed him.

The doors burst open and Jason stopped and pivoted just in time to see a gowned nurse rush past with a bundle in her arms. Looking over at Francis, Jason started after the nurse but jerked to a stop when he heard someone crying. No, not someone; Elizabeth.

Dr. Meadows chose that moment to stick her head out and beckoned to him. "Mr. Morgan, you can come in now."

Without a word, Jason entered and took the gown a nurse thrust at him. Elizabeth was lying on the table in the center of the room, weeping and mumbling incoherently. He wasted not time going to her and taking her hand in his. "I'm here Elizabeth. I'm here."

"They took her," Elizabeth sobbed. "Make them give me my little girl."

_Little girl?_ He had a daughter. And they took her? "What's going on?" He asked the doctor.

Clearing her throat, Dr. Meadows began to tell him what no parent wanted to hear. "There were complications during delivery. Elizabeth is going to just fine - she's just upset - the umbilical cord was wrapped around your daughter's neck and she couldn't get enough oxygen resulting in the spike in her heart rate."

A nurse scooted a little stool behind him, a good thing too because his legs gave out on him. With a death-grip on Elizabeth's hand, Jason tried to force down the panic quickly rising in his chest and listen to what the doctor was trying to tell them.

"We were able to get her out in time. However, because of the complications, her oxygen stats were not where they should be."

Elizabeth whimpered, clearly too upset to hear even a word of the doctor's explanation. He knew it was up to him to find out all he could and try to calm her down. "Is she – is the baby-"

"A nurse has taken your daughter for oxygen therapy," Dr. Meadows continued. "She is able to breathe on her own but we would just like to get her levels up. If you would like we can take you to the nursery to see her. You won't be able to hold her but you can see her and I'll explain further."

Jason looked over at Elizabeth and wheeled himself closer to her. He pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered, "Elizabeth, do you want to go see our little girl?"

Although she was silent now, tears still streamed down her face as she nodded. "Okay," He told her brushing the hair out of her damp face. "She's going to okay, Elizabeth," He assured her, kissing her again. Returning to the doctor, who was arranging for a wheelchair for Elizabeth, he asked, "She will be okay, won't she?"

"We have every confidence that your daughter will be fine."

"Did you hear that?" Jason asked Elizabeth. "She's going to fine. She just needed a little help breathing."

Forced to relinquish her hand Jason watched when limp as a rag doll, Elizabeth was gently placed in a wheelchair, an IV still in her arm was taken with them and they left the room to go to the nursery.

It was a bit of a procession with a nurse pushing Elizabeth, Jason and the doctor with yet another nurse following in the wake. Jason was startled when Elizabeth's ice-cold hand slid into his as he walked beside her. Automatically, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze but didn't know if it was more for him or her.

At the nursery, they watched through the window as their daughter laid in one of square little beds that still seemed too large for her as clear plastic bubble was placed over her head. Brow furrowed, Jason glanced down to see how Elizabeth was taking it. She had her lower lip between her teeth, gnawing furiously.

"I know this looks strange," Dr. Meadows began quietly. "The apparatus we are using is called an oxygen hood or a halo. There is warmed and humidified oxygen inside the hood, which is helping your daughter to breathe. She shouldn't need to stay under more than fifteen or twenty minutes. After that we will monitor her closely for the rest of the day and night to make sure her oxygen stats stay up on their own."

"Will there be any lasting effects?" Jason asked.

"There shouldn't be. It really isn't all that uncommon for babies to need a little oxygen."

Jason nodded and crouched down beside Elizabeth, who was still watching the scene intently through the window. If she was able, he knew, she would already be in there despite what the doctor or nurse's told her. "She's going to be okay, Elizabeth."

Nodding in understanding, Elizabeth still couldn't take her eyes off her daughter. So tiny, she thought. So tiny and helpless. She hadn't even gotten to hold her yet. Now that she was calm, she felt so weak … and empty. Her eyes were getting heavy and she felt like she could sleep the clock around.

"Babies are stronger than anyone gives them credit for," Dr. Meadows commented before a nurse came up and she excused herself for a moment.

"She's beautiful," Jason whispered admiring their daughter. The panic that he'd had tried so hard to fight down was almost gone but a tight knot of tension remained in his gut. He figured it would be there until she was about thirty, which was about the time he might let her out of his sight.

"She is," Elizabeth agreed sleepily. Even though she felt like she had been put through the wringer there was nothing she wanted to do more than sit right there with Jason and watch their baby.

"Mr. Morgan," Dr. Meadows said, "we have a room ready. Ms. Webber needs her rest now."

Although he didn't want to leave anymore than Elizabeth did, he went with the nurse to get Elizabeth settled in her room. As they turned to go, he saw Francis already lurking at the end of the hall, trying without much success to blend into the background. Jason nodded curtly and Francis went to stand at the entrance to the nursery. If security didn't like it they were just going to have to deal with it because Francis wasn't going anywhere that little girl didn't.

A few minutes later, Sonny and Brenda found Francis outside the nursery looking through the window. "Well," Sonny demanded.

"That's her," the guard responded pointing through the glass as Baby Girl Morgan was taken from under the hood and swaddled in a fuzzy pink blanket.

"A girl?" Brenda squealed and practically pressed her nose against the glass.

"What's going on?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know all the details but apparently the baby was having some trouble breathing," Francis responded in a hushed whisper.

"And Elizabeth?" Sonny persisted.

"They've taken her to her room. Jason's with her."

"Good," Sonny replied with a nod. With his hands shoved in his pockets he watched as Jason's daughter was placed in one of those plastic bassinets.

"She's absolutely goregous!" Brenda exclaimed and then turned around to look for Johnny. "Okay, time to go shopping."

At the guard's groan, Sonny smiled and said, "Why don't I go with you? I'd like to get Elizabeth and the baby something myself."

With a beaming smile, Brenda said, "That would be nice."

"I'm thinking flowers," Sonny replied as he took Brenda's hand and linked in through his arm. "Lots and lots of flowers."

"And the biggest box of Godiva chocolates we can find," Brenda giggled as they walked down the hall. "For Elizabeth," She supplied at his questioning look.

**The Island: **

Carly adjusted the straps of her Gucci bikini and then pushed her Chanel sunglasses on top of her head as she flipped through the pages of the latest issue of European Vogue. Dogearring a page with a dress she liked, she decided that Sonny was just going to have to take her to Paris shopping for a new waredrobe. She would show Little Miss Brenda that she wasn't the only one that could dress in couture.

After all, Sonny owed it to her for sending her down there like some snivling little waif at the first sign of trouble. If Jason's little milkmaid got to stay, Carly didn't see why she should be the one to get shipped off. As if she couldn't handle herself, she sniffed as she angerily flipped the pages of the glossy magazine.

Hadn't she proved herself capable of handling anything the business could throw at her? But no, she had to go to the island and because Elizabeth, the goodie-goodie muffin face, was pregnant she had to stay there. What a crock!

The first thing she was going to do when she got home was get that little tramp and her baby out of Jason's life. She may have turned down the money the first time but everyone had their price. Everyone, and Carly was going to find Elizabeth's. After that was done, she was going rid herself of Brenda once and for all.

"Clean house," She mumbled tossing the magazine aside.

She would teach those two gold-diggers that no one took what was hers. Sonny and Jason would be mad at first but in time they would see she was right. She always was. They never would admit it but she always knew what was best for them.

Of course, she thought with a sneer, it could be weeks before Sonny would let her come home. She could understand the need for Michael to be down there but he had Leticia, he didn't really need her. He probably wouldn't even notice if she was gone.

Sitting up, Carly swung her legs off the chaise lounge and stood up. Walking over to the railing she looked out at the clear blue water and the white sandy beach that had served as her prison for the past few weeks. It was beautiful and there might not be any bars but it was still a prision. She didn't deserve to be there. Not while those two interlopers were in Port Charles weedling their way into her life.

Maing her decision as quickly as one could snap their fingers, she went back inside to the phone. That was the nice thing about having a private jet at your disposal, there was no need for reservations. She would be home before dinner.


	26. Chapter 26

**Flashfiction #165: Plans Change Part 26**

**Prompt: A gift worth unwrapping **

There were very few things that scared Jason Morgan. He wasn't afraid of death because it was inevitable. He didn't have a phobia of spiders or any other insect. Heights and small spaces weren't a problem. If he had ever been scared of the dark, he didn't remember it now. He wasn't completely fearless. Like everyone else, he had his weaknesses. He was just a little better at hiding them than most people.

If he had a weakness, it was people. Before now, Michael had been his biggest but he'd also had a soft spot for Sonny, Carly, his sister, Emily and grandmother. If pressed, he supposed he would admit that he cared about Brenda – just a little though. However, as much as he cared for Sonny's family, it wasn't his. He had been alone and only had to look out for himself.

All that had changed when Elizabeth had come into his life – or maybe it was he that had come into hers. Either way, things were different. Not only was he in love with one of the most impossible women he had ever had the fortune of meeting but she had absolutely no idea. And now, they had a child. A daughter.

Jason Morgan had a daughter.

It blew his mind.

Glancing over his shoulder, Jason watched over Elizabeth as she slept, looking far too small in the hospital bed. He couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked, most likely from the sedative they'd given her so she would sleep. If she was awake, she would be done at the nursery, unwilling to leave her baby girl. Jason had done his fair share of hovering outside the nursery but Francis was still positioned outside, trying to blend into the wallpaper and scaring the nurses with his mere presence, and Elizabeth needed him.

He wasn't much he could do for their daughter since he wasn't a doctor. She was holding her own and her oxygen stats were up where they were supposed to be and looked to be steady. Elizabeth was calmer after seeing her but still wasn't herself. Jason owed the fact that she reached out to him to her distress. Elizabeth didn't show weakness anymore than he did. Her anger was her biggest tell. He even liked her temper though.

Elizabeth Webber had fire.

With any luck, their daughter had inherited that fire. She would need it. She already had everyone from her parents to Sonny and Francis wrapped around her little finger. Brenda too but she was a pushover.

Biased as he may be, his daughter was beautiful. Small and pink and fragile but strong as well. He knew from his experiences with Michael that Dr. Meadows was right; babies were tougher than they looked. His little girl had already proved herself to be a fighter. He liked to think she might have gotten a little of that determination from him.

After spending a long night fighting off nurses trying to get him to leave, going back and forth between Elizabeth and their daughter and spending a lot of time alone with his thoughts as he stared out the window, Jason knew without a doubt that his life was irreparably changed.

Everything he had known and believed was altered in one night. He was a father. From now one he wouldn't just be looking out for someone else's family. He couldn't take any unnecessary risks with his own life because he had people counting on him to make it home at the end of the day.

Even if he and Elizabeth were not able to work things out, as he hoped they would, they would be tied to one another by their little girl for the rest of their lives. Already he knew that he would give his life to protect his new family – whether Elizabeth wanted him to or not. He was there. He was in this and he was not going anywhere. He would fight Elizabeth and anyone else that stood in his way, tooth and nail for a place in his daughter's life.

Maybe it was selfish to bring a child into his life but for once in his life, he didn't give a damn. It was done. She was here. What came next was up to him and Elizabeth to decide. He could not and would not abandon them no matter how dangerous his life might be – even if it would be better for them.

Didn't he deserve to be selfish for once? To put his wants and needs above everyone else's? It was more than that though. The little girl laying down the hall in the nursery merited the chance to get to know him. To know that her dad loved her and wanted her, that he would be there for her no matter what and provide for her and her mother long after he was gone.

He didn't ask for much. Lived his life simply and as uncluttered as possible. He took care of other people's problems and lives without ever wanting or expecting anything in return. Was it too much to ask that he get this one thing?

People said that everyone deserved love. So far, he had not had good luck with love. Elizabeth could change all that. She had already started making a difference. Hadn't she made the penthouse, a place he only occasionally ate and slept, and turned it into a home. It wasn't some picture-perfect showplace where he was afraid to put his feet up on the coffee table or move something out of place. Elizabeth had taken a blank canvas and turned it into somewhere a family could live. No, it was already a place a family _did_ live, he amended silently.

As the sun rose, turning the sky pink and purple as it chased away the inky darkness of night, Jason stood vigil. He did not sleep or allow himself rest. He waited and watched. A new day was born with the sunrise, as was a new life with it.

He wasn't scared or sad at what he had supposedly lost. He was happy. Maybe a little nervous because he did not know what the future held, but happy nevertheless. It was a strange feeling to think and wonder about the future. Normally, he focused on the now. Tomorrow may never come for him and yesterday was over and done. It was now that mattered. He didn't think he would ever change in that way but being responsible for another life made you question what would happen tomorrow or next week.

"Jason."

When he turned, he was surprised to find Elizabeth awake and looking around as if disoriented from the drugs. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Furrowing her brow as if she had to think about it, she finally said, "Groggy."

Smiling slightly, he went over to her and poured some water into the plastic cup the hospital provided. "Here, you're probably thirsty."

"Yeah, thanks." Sipping the cool water through a straw, Elizabeth looked around the room. Handing the cup back to him, she asked, "So how is she?"

Grinning now as he thought of their daughter, he said, "She's doing good. She only needed to stay under the hood for about twenty minutes and as of the last update I got, her stats were holding steady. She's hanging out in the nursery with Francis."

"Francis is with her?"

"He's stationed outside the nursery. She goes no where without him."

"I bet the doctor's and nurses are just loving that," She smirked.

"They'll get over it," He replied pulling the stool to her beside and sitting down. "Is there anything I can get for you? Are you in pain? Hungry?"

"Um," She said mulling it over for a minute. "All I really want it to see my baby."

Jason checked his watch and figured Monica was on duty by now. He might need a little help freeing his daughter from the nursery Nazi's as Francis was calling them. He poured her some more water and handed it over. "You just stay put and I'll go see what I can do."

"As if I'm going anywhere," She snorted and then shooed him away to go see about their daughter.

Once Jason was gone and her head was a little clearer, she gazed around the room and was left breathless. Everywhere she looked there were flowers and plants. Dozens of pink balloons drifted up at the ceiling in bunches with their silver ribbon tails dangling. It was amazing. On the bedside table there was a fat and furry, pink stuffed elephant that made her giggle, it was so adorable. When she picked it up, she couldn't help but give in a little cuddle, finding it soft and sort of floppy.

All of those things kept her and her mind occupied while Jason went to retrieve their little girl. She was confident that he would not return without her in tow, no matter who tried to stand in his way. She was relieved to know that Francis had been with her all night and she was positive Jason hadn't gone far. However, she did wonder where Brenda was.

**Harborview Towers: **

"I don't care what people say, you are a genius in the kitchen," Brenda said punctuating her every word by pointing her fork in his direction.

"I'm inclined to believe you since you _are_ on your fifth pancake," Sonny chuckled. "More syrup?"

"Yes, please," She replied taking it from him and pouring a little more on her plate. "I'm telling you Sonny, give up the coffee business and you know, the other, and become a chef."

He laughed at the idea and had a little more coffee. "Should I go make more or is that going to hold you?"

"I'll have to let you know," She grinned as she speared a piece with her fork. "Maybe you should make more so we can take breakfast to Elizabeth and Jason at the hospital. I bet they have to be hungry by now. Oh, and make some hot chocolate."

"I think Jason and Francis would prefer coffee."

"Yeah, sure," Brenda agreed waving her fork once more. "But Elizabeth loves hot chocolate, heavy on the chocolate mind you and some whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles if you've got 'em."

"You are making that up," Sonny laughed. "There is no way someone could ingest that much sugar without being sick."

"An amateur maybe but Elizabeth is a professional chocoholic."

"And the small mountain of Godiva you bought her wasn't enough?"

"They were out of the big boxes," She said in her defense. So what if she had bought no less than fifteen of the little boxes and she'd had to force the salesman to get the last five out of the back just to do that.

"I don't have any chocolate sprinkles but I could probably shave some baker's chocolate on top if you think that will do," Sonny told her.

Beaming, Brenda nodded. "Sounds heavenly. Make me one too will you?"

This time Sonny threw his head back and laughed. He forgot how much fun Brenda really could be. She was like a little kid in so many ways. Small things made her happy. She didn't need expensive gifts, although she wouldn't turn them down, but she truly believed it was the thought that counted. He couldn't help but compare her to Carly's constant state of gimme, gimme. In Carly's opinion, the more expensive that better. She always wanted more and more. It was never enough with her.

Brenda winked in his direction and then proceeded to stuff the rest of her pancake in her mouth just as Sonny had seen Michael do countless times when he thought no one was looking. Brenda made him feel younger and lighter. Her resurrection truly was a gift from God. One that Sonny had prayed for many times and then mourned for so long when he thought it would never happen.

Neither Sonny nor Brenda heard the door open but when it slammed closed, startling them both, they looked up to find Carly standing there with her hands on her hips, her lip snarled in disgust and anger.

"Well, isn't this just cozy, my husband and his tramp having a romantic breakfast for two?"

**General Hospital: **

"Here we are," Jason announced quietly as he carried the little pink bundle into the room with Francis trailing behind, pushing the clear plastic infant bed.

"They let you take her," Elizabeth stated in delight.

Francis simply nodded in greeting as he left the bed within reaching distance of Elizabeth and made himself scarce. He'd already had his chance to admire Baby Girl Morgan in his night long vigil. The kid was cute enough to make a crusty old bachelor like him melt. Not that he would ever let anyone know that, he had a reputation to protect.

Jason carefully placed the baby in Elizabeth's arms and then skirted the bed to sit back down. When Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered upon looking into her daughter's sweet little face, Jason turned his head, not only to give them some privacy but because he knew exactly how she was feeling. It was overwhelming to hold the tiny life you had brought into the world for the first time.

Elizabeth stroked her daughter's clenched fist amazed at how small her little fingers were and her fingernails were tiny. It was just awe-inspiring. She didn't care if she was a blubbering mess. She figured she had a right to cry a little – or a lot – if she wanted. Eager to get to know her daughter, Elizabeth unwrapped the blanket and counted her fingers and toes just because it seemed like the thing to do, then lifted her up to kiss her cheek and breath in that fresh baby smell.

"She's gorgeous," Jason murmured feeling as if he was intruding by being in the same room. "Absolutely perfect."

Elizabeth was smiling, laughing and crying all at the same time. "She is isn't she," She agreed bundling her back up on the pink blanket so she wouldn't get cold. She had also read that babies liked to be swaddled pretty tightly in one of the many books she had read.

"We should probably name her," Jason mentioned.

"We haven't really talked about it."

"No, we haven't," He agreed. "Was there any names you liked?"

"Well, I sort of liked the name Angelina. In the baby name book I have it said that it meant, little angle in Italian. It seems fitting," Elizabeth said smiling hopefully.

"I like it."

"Really?" She asked cuddling her daughter. "I was thinking we could call her Lena for short. Angelina is quite a mouthful for a little girl."

"Lena," Jason said trying it out and liking it.

"Lena Morgan," Elizabeth said also trying it out to see how it sounded.


	27. Chapter 27

**Flashfiction #166: Plans Change Part 27**

**Prompt: At the Stroke of Midnight **

**Harborview Towers:**

"Well, isn't this just cozy, my husband and his tramp having a romantic breakfast for two?"

"Carly," Sonny said in surprise. He threw his napkin on the table and stood. As far as he knew, his wife was safely ensconced on their private island with their son. She should not be standing in their living room with her hands on her hips looking very much like she had just caught him in bed with Brenda instead of having a platonic pancake breakfast. "What are you doing here?"

Temper simmering; Carly narrowed her eyes as she glared at he husband in pure hatred. "Surprised aren't you?" She taunted. "I guess your plan to send your _wife_ and son away so you could take up with _her_," She snarled pointing at Brenda, "didn't work so well."

"Carly," Sonny sighed heavily as he shook his head. Why did she always jump to conclusions, usually the wrong conclusions at that? Wasn't it enough that he'd married her three times and counting? What did she want from him, to have **Property of Carly** stamped on his forehead?

"Don't you dare Carly me, you lying, cheating bastard," Carly screamed, her face turning red as she reached for the nearest object and threw it at him.

Sonny ducked and the vase crashed against the wall, breaking. "Where is Michael?" Sonny demanded. The last thing that boy needed to see was his parents fighting because there was sure to be a fight now. Carly wouldn't accept anything less.

"He's still on that island prison," She replied with a sneer.

"You left him down there alone?"

"He isn't alone. Leticia is with him."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sonny asked, "Did you even bother to tell him you were leaving Carly, or it going to come as a surprise to him to find that his _mother_ just up and left him once again?"

Since it was apparent that they had forgotten she was even in the room, Brenda quietly stood up, leaving her dishes right where they were and decided to make her escape. Her presence wasn't going to do Sonny any favors and she really didn't want to be a witness to this.

Sure, she could tell Carly that nothing was going on; that it was just two old friends sharing a meal but the blond wouldn't buy it. Carly wanted to believe that Sonny had sent her away so that he could carry on an affair with his ex-girlfriend slash fiancé. She had come home raring for a fight and when she'd walked in on them, she had gotten more than enough to fuel her fire – as if she needed anything else.

"Michael is fine," Carly snapped. "He's a lot better than he would be than if he had come home and found his _father_ playing house with another woman." Her eyes going to rest on her nemesis, she found the ex-supermodel trying to inch her way towards the door. "Where in the hell do you think you are going? I'm not nearly finished with you."

"Leave Brenda out of this," Sonny commanded. "This is about us and doesn't have a damn thing to do with her."

"It doesn't?" Carly laughed scornfully. "Everyone knows you can't stay away from your precious Brenda, Sonny. Why do you think Jason married her? He knew it. He knew you wouldn't be able to stay away from her. Jason knew you would do anything to get her back, even if it meant breaking up your family."

Sonny smirked at his wife but it wasn't in amusement. He felt sorry for her. Sorry that she could not seem to grasp that he had chosen her time and time again and it still wasn't enough. Carly always wanted more. "If it wasn't Brenda it would be some other woman playing on your insecurities. Isn't enough that I put my ring on your finger and made you my wife? I'm yours Carly. I made promises in front of God that I would honor you and our vows."

"Like that means anything to you?" Carly spat. "Does Lily ring any bells? Your vows to her meant nothing as long as Little Miss Perfect was around."

"I'm going to take that as my cue to leave," Brenda said as she made her way to the door.

"I don't think so," Carly said grabbing Brenda by the arm and wheeling her around to face her. "If you think I am going to stand back and watch while you wheedle your way back into my husband's life and _our_ bed, you have another thing coming."

Brenda jerked out of the other woman's grip and said, "If you think that Sonny would ever do anything to hurt his family, especially Michael, then you obviously don't know him as well as you think you do."

"And you think you know him? Let me tell you something, you don't know anything," Carly screeched. "You've been gone for years. Everyone thought you were dead. I wished like hell you had stayed that way."

When Carly sprang forward as if to attack Brenda, Sonny stepped between them and grabbed his wife and held her in check as she tried to hit and claw at him. She cursed and screamed, tried kicking him in the shins and fought against him like a wild animal.

"Go Brenda," Sonny told her as he held his wife and tried his best to keep her from hurting herself.

Helpless to do anything but comply, Brenda slipped out of the penthouse with a sad shake of her head. Even through the thick door, she could hear Carly's mad ranting.

As she let herself into Jason's penthouse, Brenda couldn't help but think that Carly was right about one thing – maybe she should have stayed dead. Her resurrection had caused nothing but trouble and more than that, a murder.

If she had never let Luis know that she missed Port Charles and all the people she had left behind he would have never brought them here. Everyone could have gone on thinking that she was dead. Luis wouldn't have tried to destroy the two men she loved more than her own life. She wouldn't have had to step in and reveal herself to try to stop it.

It was she, not Skye that was to blame for Luis's death.

It had been her fault that the other woman was driven over the edge. Brenda might as well have pushed Luis over the railing herself. Either way, she had played more than a minor role in what had happened. That was why she had to do something to set things right.

**General Hospital: **

Even though she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, Elizabeth refused to relinquish her hold on her daughter. It was as if she was almost afraid to let Angelina go or to close her eyes because she might disappear. Jason seemed to understand that because he kept sending the nurses away and even having Francis remove them forcefully if they would not comply.

When her arms drooped and her eyes got a little heavier, Jason asked, "Do you want me to take her for awhile?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse but she was so tired and she thought Angelina might want to visit with her daddy anyhow. "Okay," She agreed reluctantly.

Carefully they passed off the baby girl wrapped tightly in a pink blanket and Elizabeth leaned back into her pillow in exhaustion but still fought off sleep. With a soft smile Elizabeth watched Jason cradle their daughter in his arms and stare down into her little face with something akin to wonder.

Once again, Elizabeth looked around at the flowers and balloons that filled her room. "Who sent all this stuff?" She asked quietly.

Jason looked up and said, "Sonny and Brenda."

"Sonny?" The disbelief in her voice was apparent.

"He likes you," He shrugged.

"B-but he doesn't even know me," Elizabeth protested as she looked around at everything. They must have bought out every florist in town.

"Sonny liked you since the first time he saw you rip off my head," Jason grinned. "You made a big first impression on him."

Blushing, Elizabeth pulled the thin hospital blanket up, resisting the urge to pull it over her head and either die of embarrassment or laugh hysterically. Doing neither, she said, "It was very nice of him and Brenda to do this. They are all so pretty."

"I believe Brenda is responsible for the pile of chocolate on the table."

Looking over, Elizabeth found another table piled high with gold boxes. "Ohmigosh, that's a lot of chocolate."

"Sonny about had a heart attack when he saw all of it. I'm sure he tried to talk Brenda out of it but –"

"She's Brenda," Elizabeth laughed and then winced when it pulled at her stitches. "And the balloons?"

"Brenda," Jason replied simply and then smiled down at Angelina when she snuffled in her sleep.

"What about this little guy?" Elizabeth said reaching over to pick up the pink stuffed elephant, she had noticed earlier.

"Uh, that's from me," Jason responded with a sheepish smile. "The hospital gift shop didn't have much of a selection."

Elizabeth could not help but smile. Jason Morgan – hitman extraordinaire was buying stuffed animals. "He's adorable," She told him and she could have sworn he was blushing before he turned away to lay the baby down in her bed.

This man, her little girl's father, was such a contradiction. He could be sweet in the most unexpected ways but you would never mistake him for a pushover. He could make her angrier than anyone she had ever met and then turn around and say something so charming that she forgot she was ever mad in the first place. She and Angelina were lucky to have him.

It was hard for her to let people close to her but for some reason she could not seem to help it these days. Must be the hormones, she thought. Jason had gotten her into bed with very little trouble – or maybe she had been the one to get him into bed. She couldn't quite recall and supposed at this point it didn't matter much. She had been fighting him ever since though.

More than capable of taking care of herself, Elizabeth didn't need anyone. She didn't want to need anyone. She especially did not want to need Jason.

She was willing to forgive that he had taken off the morning after their romp with the promise to call and come back five months later as if it were no big deal. Well, it had been a very big deal as he had found out. One moment – okay, it was more than a minute – of insanity had a very serious consequence, their daughter. Elizabeth understood his job a little better now and knew that if he had to be gone for five months on business that it was not something he could help.

Jason had more than one opportunity to bail on her, she'd given him more than a few openings and he hadn't. He insisted that he wanted to be part of his child's life, part of her life as well. Elizabeth wasn't so sure she could trust him because she didn't trust anyone, sometimes not even herself. She sure did not trust herself around him. Jason had this way of getting past all her defenses and it scared her to death.

When Jason got close to her, it was like a little alarm clock inside her went off. She didn't know if it was meant to wake her up or act as a warning. It made her wary. More than once, she had felt like an animal backed into the corner and desperate for any means of escape. As long as she could keep Jason at a distance then she would be all right. If she could just keep up her defenses then he couldn't hurt her.

Watching him fuss over their daughter made the wall around her heart crumble just a little though and she knew that now more than ever, Jason Morgan was dangerous.


	28. Chapter 28

**Flashfiction #167: Plans Change Part 28**

**Prompt: cardboard juice boxes **

His home had become a prison. Ever since Carly's unexpected return, she policed his every action. She wanted to know who he was talking to on the phone, where he was going, when he would be back, and had even taken to calling or showing up at the warehouse at odd hours to see if he really was there. Carly was smothering him in such a way that it felt as if the walls were starting to close in on him. He felt hunted.

When his wife wasn't acting like a prison warden, she was railing against Brenda like never before. Sonny was actually glad that Michael was down on the island and didn't have to witness any of their fighting. Actually, Carly was the only one that was fighting. He had given up. It was just easier to let her yell and throw her tantrums. She didn't want to hear what he had to say anyhow.

The sad part was that he really did love Carly.

What he didn't love were her unfounded insecurities and constant harping. He understood that she had some abandonment issues and he had done his best to reassure her of his love and commitment to their marriage. While he had tried to be sympathetic to her insecurities about any woman that showed in the slightest passing interest in him but this thing with Brenda was bordering on obsession. No matter what he said or did, Carly did not and would not believe that he wasn't pining away for his ex or that he wasn't carrying on some elicit affair.

Carly had gone so far as to suggest that he had burnt down the warehouse as part of an elaborate hoax to get her out of town. She concluded that everyone knew about it, that even Jason was working against her. When he had reminded her that Jason didn't even like Brenda and that he had married her only to keep her from messing with them, Carly had ignored him. She was so positive that he was going to leave her for Brenda that she had already contacted a lawyer to find out how take him for everything he had.

It wasn't that he was particularly worried about her filing for divorce, if she was going to do that it would have already been done, but it was the very fact that she seemed intent on ruining him for a perceived wrong that existed nowhere but in her mind. Sonny was pretty sure that he was losing his mind – what little sanity he had left that is.

While it was bad enough that his wife was driving him up the wall, Sonny had other problems. They still didn't know exactly who their newest threat was or what they wanted. Lorenzo Alcazar, while the most likely suspect, did not seem to be the perpetrator. Jason was out of commission while he stayed with Elizabeth and Angelina at GH and when he wasn't cooing over his daughter or working on charming Elizabeth was demanding to know who shot at them on the docks. Sonny wanted to know that just as much as his enforcer did.

He had Jason got shot at often enough that it was to be expected, especially in their line of work, but when someone started taking pot shots at a pregnant woman, that someone was going to pay in blood. There were certain things that you never did, no matter what and one of those things was targeting women and children. It just was not done. And it pissed him the hell off.

If something had happened to Elizabeth or the baby, Jason would have snapped. He would have been tearing Port Charles apart with no regard for his own safety. Sonny wouldn't have blamed him, he would have felt the same way.

Someone was going to have to pay. Sonny and Jason would see to that.

**General Hospital: **

Swinging a large take out bag from Kelly's, Brenda got off the elevator. Nodding at Bobbie, she rounded the nurse's station and went down the hall to Elizabeth's room. Johnny followed behind her, ever her shadow, munching on a chocolate chip cookie as big as his head. As had become her habit in the four days Elizabeth had been in the hospital, Brenda had brought enough food to feed not only herself and Elizabeth but also Jason and whatever guard was on duty.

"Afternoon, Ms. Barrett," Max greeted with a nod.

"Hi Max," She smiled as she dug in the brown paper bag and produced a ham and cheese sandwich on rye for the guard.

"Thanks," He said gratefully as he immediately started unwrapping the sandwich. One would think that he would be used to hospital food and horrible coffee considering how much time he spent at GH but he just never did.

Brenda rooted around in the bag once more. "Here, have a juice box," She said thrusting it into his hand. "All the coffee you guys drink cannot be good for you. Makes you edgy and that's never good for someone who carries a gun."

Watching her slip into the room with a perplexed look on his face, Max then looked down at the orange cardboard juice box he held that proclaimed to be 100 Orange Juice. "She's joking right?" He asked Johnny.

"Nope," the Irish guard replied as he leaned against the wall and then popped the last bite of the cookie into his mouth. "Do yourself a favor, just drink it and avoid the lecture."

Brenda found Elizabeth sitting up in her hospital bed flipping through the channels on the TV. Jason was reading the New York Times and little Lena appeared to napping as usual. "I come bearing food," She announced holding the bag up in the air.

Elizabeth turned off the TV and smiled at her friend. She looked tired but the past three days had worn on her. The hospital was not her favorite place but the doctors wanted to monitor them both for a little longer. Even though Jason didn't like being there anymore than she did, he stayed. Actually, he refused to leave. Monica had moved a cot into the room after the second day and offered her office and it's attached bathroom for his use. Elizabeth couldn't lie, she was glad for his continued presence. The stitches from the cesarean section made getting up and down a little uncomfortable and Lena was staying in the room with them most of the time now. She figured Jason had something to do with that. Brenda's visits had become a bright spot of her day. It also gave Jason a chance to get out of the room and take care of whatever he had to do.

Brenda handed Jason a cup of coffee, his usual from Kelly's and that morning's copy Port Charles Herald she had picked up on her way over. Then she peeked at the baby and said smiling, "Hello, Gorgeous."

"Thanks," Jason mumbled taking a drink of the bitter brew and then stood up so she could have his chair. He tucked both newspapers under his arm and told Elizabeth, "I'll be back in an hour. Francis and Johnny are both outside and my phones on."

"Have fun," Elizabeth replied waving him away. She knew he was eager for some fresh air and the company of someone besides her and a three-day-old baby, although he certainly hadn't been complaining.

Jason nodded in acceptance of the dismissal; he leaned over Angelina in her bed, ran a finger down her cheek and then disappeared out the door.

Brenda pulled the chair closer to the bed and then started unloading the bag onto the bed. "I've got hot chocolate fixed just the way you liked, grilled chicken sandwiches without onions, an order of cheese fries for us to share and the new Vogue."

"Quite the haul," Elizabeth commented reaching for the hot chocolate.

"Uh-huh," the other woman agreed as she grabbed her huge, brown leather hobo bag and rifled around inside. She pulled out a white bear dressed as a ballerina and put it on the bedside table. "For Miss Angelina."

"You have to quit buying her things," Elizabeth sighed in exasperation but laughed when Brenda looked affronted.

"Someone has to spoil that child."

"Oh please, Lena is hardly deprived. Between you and Sonny you have already bought out Wyndamn's."

"We have not," Brenda protested and then with a wink said, "We only bought about half. Besides, I like buying her things. It's fun."

"Yeah but will you be around to change diapers?" Elizabeth teased as she opened the Styrofoam box her chicken sandwich was in.

Looking over at the sleeping little angel that had stolen her heart the moment she had set eyes on her, Brenda replied, "I think I'm up for the job. Just so long as you know that my babysitting fees aren't cheap."

"Do you actually think Jason is going to leave you alone with his daughter?"

Pursing her lips as she thought about that for a second, she shrugged and said, "I suppose not. I don't think Jason can stand being away from her for longer than one of my visits takes and I bet he is back way before his hour is up."

Elizabeth smiled softly thinking about how sweet Jason was with their little girl. He just couldn't seem to keep his hands off her and if she so much as sniffled, he was jumping up to check on her. "He loves his little Lena."

Brenda nodded in complete agreement as she finished chewing the cheese fry she had just stuffed in her mouth and then swallowed. "I don't think Lena is the only one Jason can't stay away from."

Elizabeth felt her face heat but shook her head. "We are getting along better," She admitted, "but that's it."

Rolling her eyes in irritation, Brenda wondered what she was going to do with those two. One step forward and ten steps back. If they didn't cool it with the dance they kept doing, they were never going to admit how they really felt about each other. Jason was absolute nuts about Elizabeth and even though Elizabeth refused to admit it, she loved Jason. Her one hope was that with all the time they were spending together they would bond over Angelina and finally get it together.

That wish made it easier to tell Elizabeth what she knew was a long time in coming. "Well, I hope you two are finally getting along well enough that you don't need me to play referee because I moved out of the penthouse yesterday."

"What?" Elizabeth asked a cheese fry half way to her mouth. "You can't."

Sighing heavily, Brenda said, "We all knew this was coming. The cottage is finally ready and this is the perfect time for me to go. When you and Jason take Angelina home, you don't need me around getting in the way."

"You won't get in the way."

"I bet Jason would disagree with that," Brenda responded with a laugh. Even though she and Jason had called a truce of sorts, they would never be best friends. "You aren't afraid to be alone with him are you?" She asked with a suggestive look. "Afraid you won't be able to control yourself?"

Again, her face heated and Elizabeth shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" Brenda scoffed. "It's ridiculous that you are attracted to Jason? I mean I can understand trying to fight it, he _is_ annoying and surly on his best days but he's not so bad to look at. And you do have a kid with him, he can't be all bad."

Slumping back into her pillows, Elizabeth sighed tiredly. "Will you shut up if I admit that I'm attracted to Jason?"

"No, I'll shut up when you admit you love the big lug and promise to do something about it."

"You know, I'm beginning to think Jason's right, you are a pain in the ass," Elizabeth told her with a scowl as Brenda had come a little too close to the truth to suit her.

"Thank you, it's rather hard work but I do try," She smirked. Deciding to push her hand, Brenda leaned forward mindful of the food she had resting in her lap and said, "So come on Webber, admit that you have some pretty serious feelings for Jason? This was no one-night stand, you two have something real going on. Tell me you love him."

"Brenda," sighed the weary brunette as she covered her face with her hands. She wanted to run and hide, not only from Brenda's well intentioned meddling but from the feelings she knew she had for the father of her child. She wouldn't call it love yet but there was definitely something like that.

"Go on, admit it," the older woman urged. "You'll feel better."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth pressed her lips together to show she wasn't talking. If she said it, put it out there then it would make it real. It would be harder to fight and deny if she actually said the words. The fact was, she wasn't sure what she felt. She felt something, she couldn't deny that but she wasn't sure it meant anything. Of course, she would have some feelings for the father of her child, Jason had been very good to her since finding out she was pregnant and he was so obviously smitten with Lena that she couldn't help but melt a little where he was concerned. She just didn't want to confuse Jason's feelings for their daughter for the ones he had for her … or the ones she was developing for him.

"You love him," Brenda sang in a teasing voice. "Elizabeth loves Jason."

"What, are you five?"

"Yes."

Laughing, Elizabeth swatted her friend with her hand. "You are such a brat."

"Uh-huh, and you love Jason."

Rolling her eyes and then in complete frustration said, "Fine. Okay. I love him. I love Jason Morgan. Are you happy now?"


	29. Chapter 29

**Flashfiction #168: Plans Change Part 29**

**Prompt: Is that your hand on my girlfriend? **

"_Fine. Okay. I love him. I love Jason Morgan. Are you happy now?"_

The words seemed to echo in the eerily silent corridor as Jason let the door click shut and took a step back. With his eyes cast to the floor, he wiped his mouth with the palm of his hand and then looked up to meet the curious and smiling eyes of the two guards.

Johnny grinned and Max started to speak but Jason raised his hand to halt them. "Not a word," He growled.

Max clamped his mouth shut and the smile faded off Johnny's face. Glaring at them warningly, Jason turned on his heel and stalked back down the hall leaving the guards to stare speculatively after him.

"Happy? I'm ecstatic!" Brenda exclaimed clapping her hands together. She had done it. She had finally gotten Elizabeth to admit her feelings. Granted it was to her and not to Jason but beggars could not be choosers. Baby steps, she consoled herself, baby steps.

"I'm glad one of us is," Elizabeth sighed as she internally cursed herself for the slip.

"Don't be like that," the older woman said. "You should be happy. You have a beautiful daughter and you just so happen to be in love with her father, there are worse things that could happen."

"Not for me."

Hopes dashed, Brenda slumped in her chair. "I don't understand. I mean, I can understand being scared of love … been there. But you're treating it like its some disease that you can't wait to be cured of and _that_ I just don't get."

"If only there was a cure," Elizabeth replied looking away from her friend to stare blankly at the wall. "I don't think I've ever been loved in my whole life," She admitted sadly and rather reluctantly. When Brenda tried to interject, she just continued. "I'm not saying that so you'll feel sorry for me or try to contradict me. I'm not even trying to throw myself a pity party. That's just the way it is."

As it was a painful subject for her, Elizabeth avoided Brenda's gaze that was almost sure to be sympathetic. Instead, she kept her eyes straight ahead and let the poison spill from her. "I'm not even sure why my mother bothered to have me. She's a doctor. She values science above all else. An abortion would not have been a problem for her but she went through with her pregnancy and here I sit. They let me know early on that I was not as important as their patients or research. I was a minor annoyance that was shuttled off to nanny's and only trotted out at Christmas time to prove that yes, they did have a daughter. They never bothered to tell me I was talented or bright in any way. My parents, if you can call them that, just don't care. They never have and they never will."

"You aren't like them," Brenda assured her as she reached for Elizabeth's hand.

Pulling her hand away as if burnt, Elizabeth laughed mirthlessly. "The thing is I'm not even sure they loved each other. I never saw them show any affection towards each other. Never once did I see them kiss or embrace. Hell, I've never seen them hold hands. If anything, their marriage was convenient. Who better to understand a doctor's life than another doctor?"

"Not everyone is like your parents, Liz." As troubling as it was to see her plan going up on smoke, Brenda realized that Elizabeth was more than just afraid to love - she was terrified of it.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth finally turned her head to look at Brenda. "I have their blood running through my veins, don't you see? I already have one strike against me."

"But – but you love Lena. You can't tell me you don't love that little girl over there," Brenda said vehemently.

Elizabeth swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and glanced over at her baby girl sleeping in blissful peace. "Loving Lena is the easiest and hardest thing I've ever done. She is a miracle. B-but don't ask me to risk loving Jason … because I can't do that."

The bitter winter wind cut straight to bone but Jason didn't feel it as he stood on the roof of General Hospital. He did not even bother to zip his battered black leather jacket as it flapped at his sides. His head was bowed as he braced his hands on the cold metal railing and took several deep breaths that stung his lungs and made his eyes water.

She loved him.

All these months he had allowed himself to hope that maybe someday, Elizabeth would return his feelings and now that the day had come, he was scared shitless. There were countless ways he could screw it up. Ways that he probably couldn't even begin to imagine. All he'd wanted was a chance to show her, to prove to her that there was something more between them other than that they shared a child.

He couldn't explain his love for her or when it had happened. It could have been the first moment he had laid eyes on her or when she had smirked at him and challenged him to a game of pool. Perhaps it was later than that. Had it been the instant he had walked into Kelly's and come face to face with her after five long months of thinking and wondering about her? The seconds in-between recognizing her and realizing that she was pregnant.

What did know was that every time he looked at her, even when she was simmering with anger, his heart seemed to grow in size and fill him with this feeling of unexplainable joy. It sounded stupid, even to his own ears, but it was true.

He had felt the same thing the first time he had held Michael and when he had seen Lena for the first time. It was love, unconditional, irrational love for another person that he had never thought himself capable. He was capable of it though and as wonderful as it was it still startled him.

To love someone wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially not for someone like him. Most people didn't have to worry about getting shot at for doing something as mundane as walking down the street or that someone he loved would be hurt because of him. He had already promised himself that he would not be a peripheral figure in his daughter's life. He wanted to be there front and center. Of all the things he had not allowed himself because of who he was and what he did, that would not be one of them.

He wanted the whole package though. It sounded impossible and perhaps a little foolish but he wanted a home with Elizabeth and Lena. He wanted to be a father and a husband, if Elizabeth would have him. He didn't entertain any grand, romantic ideas about having the perfect white picket fence life but he thought they might have a chance at something real and not some perfect dream that no one could ever live up to.

She loved him.

Sonny and Carly loved each other but he saw how they ripped each other apart. He saw what that did to Michael and knew he couldn't let that happen to Lena. He knew Alan and Monica loved each other but they had been married and divorced so many times he could not even begin to keep track. Even Luke and Laura, who without a doubt loved one another, had not been able to make it last, to make it enough.

Would love be enough for them?

Blindly Brenda made her way to the elevator, her conversation with Elizabeth playing in her mind on a constant loop. She had been an idiot to think that getting Jason and Elizabeth together would be easy. What had she thought, that mommy plus daddy plus baby equaled a happy little family? She knew better.

Pushing Elizabeth to admit she loved Jason had blown up right in her over-confident face. What did she know about love? Every relationship she had ever had to this day had been a disaster. If fact, her marriage to Jason _was_ probably her best relationship to date. If that wasn't sad she didn't know what was.

She had been playing games with two – now three – people's lives as if she had all the right in the world to do so. Damn her sappy, romantic heart.

There was still hope, of course. Jason loved Elizabeth even though _he_ wouldn't admit it. Although Brenda hated to admit it, Jason wasn't completely useless or brainless. He could still convince Elizabeth that they were perfect for each other. He might even be able to do it on his own.

Jason couldn't be completely without charm, she mused feeling her spirits lift a fraction. After all, he had gotten Elizabeth in his bed and brought them to this juncture all by himself. Well, maybe with the help or some beer _but_ he had persuaded her to live with him these past few months. Granted he'd forced her to move into the penthouse in the first place but she wasn't going to let a little thing like details bother her.

Maybe her best plan of action was to do nothing at all and let nature take its course. When Elizabeth was released from the hospital and they took Lena home, they would be alone in the penthouse together. So far, they had always had her as a buffer or interruption, depending on how you looked at it and with her gone … all sorts of interesting things could happen.

Almost gleeful at the thought Brenda didn't notice someone had come up behind her until they had a hold of her arm. Surprised, she whirled around ready to pounce but found it was only Jax.

Putting a hand to her racing heart, Brenda said, "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry," He replied releasing her arm. "I called your name but I guess you didn't hear me."

Laughing off her initial panic, she tossed her hair over her shoulder with a smile. "I was lost in my own little world."

Jax frowned down at her as if in disapproval. "Alcazar is still running around town, you should be more on your guard."

"That's what I have Johnny for," She replied dismissively as she waved at her bodyguard, who was standing a few feet behind them. When Jax turned to look, she laid a hand on his arm to keep his attention on her and avoid another lecture on the evils of Sonny, Jason and being associated with the mob. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"We didn't finish our conversation the other day," He answered keeping his voice low.

"If you are talking about Skye pushing – "

Jax grabbed her arm and scanned the area around them hastily as he pulled her towards the open elevator. The doors closed just as they entered leaving Johnny standing there scowling.

"What are you doing?" Brenda asked aghast at his behavior.

"You can't go shouting it where everyone can hear you, Brenda."

"I wasn't shouting," She protested lamely and rubbing her arm where his hand had been.

"This is precisely why I wanted to talk to you," He said looking somber. "I-I was a little rough with you that day and –"

"You mean when I wasn't being a total bitch to you?" She asked with a rueful smile. "Let's just forget about it and you can tell me what happened."

Jax studied her for a few long minutes and then nodded in acceptance. "I don't know all the details, just what Skye has been able to tell me and she's not entirely clear on it either."

"Was she drugged?" Brenda asked in concern. If Luis was capable of keeping her drugged for years on end to keep her with him, he was certainly capable of drugging someone else for whatever twisted reason he could invent.

"No," He responded shaking his head, "Skye was drinking. After we broke up … her memory is fuzzy."

Brenda knew what he meant. Skye had fallen off the wagon when Jax had come back to her. Guilt swept over her once more as she realized again what a mess her resurrection had caused.

"She was angry," Jax explained. "She blamed Luis for bringing you back and for ruining our marriage."

"I can't blame her," Brenda murmured.

"She was out of control," He continued. "They – they had sex and then afterwards he baited her with my relationship with you and – and she was drunk and –"

"She pushed him off the balcony," Brenda concluded when he seemed unable to do so himself.

"Yes," Jax sighed, his shoulders slumping as he hung his head. "It was an accident," He said lifting his head to meet her eyes. "Skye would never intentionally hurt someone one. She's not capable of murder."

"You don't have to defend her to me. I wanted to kill him myself but didn't have the nerve to go through with it. I wish I had."

"Skye shouldn't be punished for killing someone like Luis Alcazar," Jax sneered with disgust. "After all the people he has hurt and all the pain he caused, he deserved to die."

"I don't disagree with you," She replied. "Lorenzo, however, is a different story. He wants vengeance for his brother's death and I don't think he'll stop until he gets it one way or another."

"I won't let him hurt Skye. I'll kill him myself before he lays on hand on her."

Elizabeth was lying on her side watching Lena sleep when he returned. When she heard the door close, she rolled over and eyed warily, her mind still stuck on what she had told Brenda. She loved him and it terrified her in ways that she couldn't begin to fathom. And that love could destroy her in the end if she let it. She was determined not to let it.

"Hey," Jason greeted simply as the corners of his mouth quirked up.

Without meaning to, she found herself returning that smile as they stared at each other and her face flooded with color. "Hey," She replied as the wall around her heart started to crack and crumble.


	30. Chapter 30

**Flashfiction #169 Plans Change Part 30**

**Prompt: "Itches need scratching." **

Seated on the floor in front of her coffee table, Brenda flipped through the contracts that had arrived by messenger that afternoon. She only understood about half of it and it was quickly becoming clear that she was going to have to hire a lawyer. Maybe Justice would help her out. He might like to do something besides keep Jason and Sonny out of jail once in awhile.

Looking up in confusion when there was a knock on the door, she wondered where Johnny had gone. He normally either sent people away when she didn't want to be bothered or announced her visitors. The door opened and her guest stepped in answering her question.

"Sonny," She greeted with a smile, pleased to see him. "Did Carly let you out on good behavior?"

"Don't start," He warned but ruined by flashing a dimpled smile. "I came to see how you were doing out here by yourself."

"I'm hardly by myself with Johnny and all the other guards you have posted around here," She answered with a pointed look. "Did you think I wouldn't notice all those extra suits running around through the woods or going in and out of the stables?"

Pretending that she had asked him in and to make himself at home, Sonny went and sat in a lumpy overstuffed chair in a shade of blue he believed they called _Robin's Egg Blue_. He unbuttoned his jacket and said, "We turned the stables into a surveillance room. It's just a precaution and nothing for you to worry about but we still don't know who burned down the warehouse or shot at Jason and Elizabeth. Just ignore the other guys the best you can and they won't bother you anymore than they have to."

"You could have told me," She said shuffling papers.

"I should have," He agreed with a nod.

Since she wasn't looking for an apology, just the acknowledgment that she had the right to know, she let it go. "I'm doing fine out here all by myself," She told him.

"Good, but if you need anything … just call."

"Uh-huh, Carly would just love that," Brenda snorted. She had lost track of the number of times the other woman had accused her of being after her husband, lusting after him, sleeping with him or break up her family.

Resting his elbows on the arms of the chair, looking very much at home in Brenda's cottage, he didn't shift in discomfort or avoid her gaze. The truth was his marriage was over. The only thing left to do was for one of them to move out and file for divorce. It hurt to think about it and the last person he was planning to discuss it with was Brenda.

"Don't worry about Carly. She's my problem."

"I could care less about what Carly thinks," Brenda said with a shrug. "I can handle her. In fact, I look forward to our little run-ins _but_ you had better keep your psycho wife away from Jason and Elizabeth. They have made too much progress to have that blond barracuda come in and muck it up now. Jason can do that all on his own."

"What exactly are you trying to tell me here, Brenda?" He asked in amusement.

Quite seriously, she replied, "I'm telling you that if you think you are going to turn _your_ problem over to Jason like you always do, you aren't going to like what I do. Jason and Elizabeth have enough to work through without adding one more issue."

While he did not like being told what to do or given ultimatums, Sonny let it slide. "You'll be pleased to know that Carly is being kept away from Jason's penthouse."

"Locked her in a closet did you?"

"No, I did not lock Carly in a closet." As tempting as that had been, he added to himself. "What are you working on anyhow?" he asked as she flipped through the papers in front of her once again.

Beaming, Brenda glanced over her shoulder at him. "I got a job," She announced feeling pretty proud of herself.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," She replied priming her mouth at him when he sounded skeptical.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well," She said, smiling again. "Ned and I are going to start up L&B again. He's bored with ELQ and he's interested in producing new acts instead of performing these days. I need a job. I loved the music business and even if I do say so myself, I was pretty good at it."

"Sounds like a good fit," Sonny commented. "Have you – that is, have you thought about where you are going to get the money?"

Giggling, Brenda shook her head. "Before you pull out your check book, Mr. Money-bags, I already have the start up capital. Jax gave me –"

"Candy boy?" Sonny sneered.

"Don't you start with me either," She said stabbing a finger in his direction. "It was my money anyhow. When I died, Jax inherited everything I had. He was only giving me back what was rightfully mine."

"So you and Jax –"

Rolling her eyes, Brenda said, "Jax and I are over. He's back with Skye where he belongs."

"And you're okay with that?"

"I am more than okay with that," She answered. "Jax and I were trying to live in the past. We're different people now and – and we just can't seem to accept that about each other. Maybe we didn't end on very good terms but it would have only been worse the longer we tried to pretend that things were just like they were before."

Sonny considered what she said and found that the same thing was true for him and Carly. They simply weren't the people they were when they got married the first time or even the second time. He would always love Carly and care for her but they just didn't make sense together anymore. They kept trying to patch the holes and pretend that they weren't growing more apart everyday but it was not working anymore, not for either of them.

**Lake House: **

Jax paced behind the couch with his hands on his hips as he shook his head and kept looking at the woman standing by the mini bar drinking vodka tonics. If it wasn't bad enough that Skye would not listen to reason, she was also drinking. He knew it was because she was scared but it still worried him.

"I still think you should consider getting out of town," He said trying once more to get her to listen. "Just until this blows over."

"I killed a man, Jax, it isn't going to blow over," Skye responded before draining her glass.

"I'll go with you," He offered. "We'll go to Europe like we planned to for our –"

"For our honeymoon," Skye finished for him when he trailed off realizing what he was about to say. It was still a sore subject for her and would most likely stay one for a very long time. It was not easy to forget your husband running out on you on your wedding night to be with his returned from the dead fiancé. As was their divorce, so he could play around with Brenda while she was married to another man. It didn't say much about her that she couldn't hold onto her husband for one day because he would rather sneak around with a married, supposedly dying woman. Men were bastards with only one thing on their pea-sized brains. "I'm not running."

"The cops are closing in," Jax told her, pleading with her to understand. After talking to his man at the PCPD he had come straight to Skye thus sparking their argument. "And let's not forget about Lorenzo Alcazar. He's not going away."

"Well, maybe you can get Brenda to talk to him since he seems to like her just fine. I bet he would jump at the chance to do her bidding. You certainly did."

"Skye," He started but a knock at the door cut him off.

"Police, open up."

Skye and Jax traded a glance and they both knew that her time had just run out.

**Harborview Towers: **

Sitting up like she had been shot, Elizabeth threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. Grabbing her robe off the end of the bed, she pulled it on and went down the hall to Lena's room. Exhausted and disoriented, she knew that Lena was probably fine but she had made a habit of checking on her several times a night since bringing her home from the hospital. She was well aware that she was being paranoid but since she had run into Jason more than once out in the hall, she knew she wasn't the only one feeling a little nervous.

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Elizabeth went over to peek into Lena's crib only to find it empty. "Jason," She sighed and went in search of them.

After finding his bedroom empty, she went downstairs and found them both asleep on the couch. Jason was stretched out on the brown leather sofa wearing black sweats and a gray t-shirt, Lena curled up on his chest with his broad hand on her back. Shaking her head, Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. If there was ever a man in love with his daughter, it was Jason Morgan.

Since they had brought Lena home almost a week ago, he had not left them alone for longer than it took to go across the hall to pick up or return contracts. He was devoted, she'd give him that.

Actually, she had to give him credit for a whole more than that. He had been so sweet. Most men might simply turn the baby over to the mother and all the chores that went with being a parent but not Jason. He fed her, bathed her, rocked her to sleep and changed diapers like an old pro. He was better than she was. More than that, he seemed to anticipate every little thing Lena needed before she even made a peep. It was disconcerting to say the least – but in a nice way.

She wasn't afraid that Lena would grow up like she did, looking for her parents love or recognition, especially from her father. What she was very much afraid of was that she was going to fall head over heels in love with Lena's father and screw everything up.

Sighing, she went over to them and leaned over to get the yellow afghan off the back of the couch to spread over them. Lena snuffled in her sleep but didn't stir, however, it was enough cause for Jason to wake.

He opened his eyes, found Lena still asleep and the looked up to meet Elizabeth's eyes. He blinked a few times to get his bearings and then smiled crookedly. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," She returned with a smile and drew the blanket over him and their daughter. Ignoring the surprise that flickered over his face, she went and curled up in a chair, pulling her robe around her and tucking it around her feet.

"Lena was awake when I went to check on her so I brought her down here," He explained trailing his hand up and down the little girl's back. "I guess we feel asleep."

"I guess so," She chuckled. "How long did you stand in front of the window with her?" She asked having found them doing just that for hours on end in the early evening when Lena always seemed to get fussy. So far, she hadn't figured out what was so interesting but it seemed to have a calming affect on both of them.

"I don't know, awhile," He admitted. "You should go back to bed. You're tired."

"So are you?" She countered. Being a parent was hard work she was finding. Rewarding but tiring and you just didn't get much sleep. She'd tried napping whenever Lena was down but there was always so much to do, bottles to wash, laundry to do, grocery lists to make and with all that, she had to find time to sneak in a shower every so often. Jason was a lot of help but he still had to work and so far they had been lucky with him being able to work from the penthouse. He'd spent just as many sleepless nights with Lena though. Sometimes he was the only one that could get Lena to sleep.

"I was sleeping," He responded quietly, afraid to disturb the baby. "You'll be dead on your feet tomorrow if you don't get some rest. Go back to bed – unless you want to join us. There's plenty of room and Lena and I don't mind sharing."


	31. Chapter 31

**Flashfiction #170: Plans Change Part 31**

**Prompt: 5 am-race to the finish **

Elizabeth dropped a wicker clothesbasket of towels on the coffee table with the intention of sitting down to fold them. However, the couch looked too inviting and much too comfortable. Flopping down on the cool leather cushions with an exhausted sigh, she tried not to think about Jason and Lena sleeping there last night and Jason's very tempting offer to join them.

She almost had. Almost. But something stopped her. She couldn't even say what it was. In her mind she could see them all cuddled up on the couch, the picture perfect family.

The trouble was, they weren't a family, picture perfect or otherwise.

So, she had fled up the stairs and went back to bed – alone. Tossing and turning until close to five, she had finally just given up the idea of going back to sleep and gotten up. Now she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.

Lena was asleep upstairs in her crib, Jason, who was remarkably well rested, was upstairs fixing a drip in her bathroom faucet, she could take a nap. No one would say a word. Not unless they had a death wish.

Easing her bare feet up on the couch and laying back, Elizabeth closed her eyes. "Just for a minute," She told herself. The baby monitor was on the table beside her and Jason would get to Lena first in any case. She just needed a little nap.

Within minutes, she was sound asleep, her mind blissfully blank.

Not more than ten minutes later, the front door opened and slammed with enough force to rattle her teeth. Elizabeth sprang up with a gasp and looked turned around to see who in the hell had the audacity to make that much noise with a newborn in the house.

"Where's Jason?" Carly snapped practically snarling.

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth hoped against hope that Lena would not wake up. Unfortunately, a piercing cry filled the air causing her to groan tiredly.

"Hey, Princess, I'm talking to you. Where is Jason?"

"You mean you don't have him low jacked?" Elizabeth replied snidely. She and Carly had only had one or two run-ins since they came from the hospital and she had played nice. She wasn't going to make things any harder than they had to be, especially for Jason. But she'd had enough.

She tired, still adjusting to being a mother, confused about her feelings for Jason and – and did she mention she was tired? Carly might be Jason's self-proclaimed best friend but with her daughter screaming her head off upstairs, Elizabeth's much needed nap interrupted, she was not in the mood to deal with anyone much less someone who hated her guts for the simple reason that she existed.

"Ya know what Little Girl, I was here long before you and I will be here long after Jason comes to his senses and kicks your scrawny ass to the curb."

"Think so?" Elizabeth challenged. It didn't matter that she wasn't altogether sure that the older woman was wrong. She just didn't like her and she wasn't going to let the bottle blond bitch talk down to her.

"Carly," Jason barked as he jogged down the stairs. His gray t-shirt was damp and smeared with grease from where he had fought with the sink. The scowl on his face told them that he was not pleased at all.

Since Lena was still crying, Elizabeth excused herself to go get her daughter and leave Jason to deal with his _friend_.

Grabbing Carly's arm, Jason pulled her out into the hall. He had a feeling that this was going to be a very loud discussion and he didn't want to upset Lena anymore than she already was.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded as he released her.

Pouting, Carly rubbed her arm even though his grasp had not been very tight or hard enough to bruise. "I came over to see you," She said meekly.

Knowing she was putting on an act and getting damn tired of it, Jason sighed heavily. "What do you want?"

Keeping her voice even and trying her best not to show how angry she was at practically being thrown out of his penthouse, where she had always been welcome before, Carly said, "Sonny gave me divorce papers this morning and told me he had already reserved a room at the Port Charles Hotel for me."

Jason knew all of that but didn't say anything. The way he figured it, he had enough problems with his own love life, or the lack there of, he didn't need to try to meddle in Sonny and Carly's. He'd already tried to help them countless times and at a certain point, there wasn't anything anyone could do anymore. They either made it work or they called it quits.

He was sorry that Michael would have to go through it and be uprooted once again but he really wondered if this would be best for the boy in the long run. Best for all of them. It was obvious from the amount of shouting they had all heard coming from the Corinthos penthouse that Carly and Sonny weren't going to be able to repair their marriage this time. Michael did not need to see his parents at each other's throats. Something like that could scar a kid and Michael had already had too much upheaval in his life.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Carly screeched in indignation. She expected at least some sort of reaction out of Jason. He had always been her and Sonny's biggest supporter and now that her marriage was falling apart he didn't even bat an eyelash. "Don't you care that Sonny has just thrown me and my son out on the street?"

"I wouldn't call a suite at the PC Hotel being homeless, Carly. I'm sure Sonny has already told you he would buy you a house as soon as you found one you liked."

Sonny had in fact told her that only minutes before but that wasn't the point. She wanted Jason to be on her side. She wanted him to go in there and tell Sonny that he could not divorce her. Sonny would listen to Jason. Jason would _make_ him listen.

"I see how it is," Carly said crossing her spindly arms over her chest and glaring at him. "Now that you are playing house with the milkmaid and her brat, you don't give a damn what happens to me or Michael."

Jason's face hardened. "Do not _ever_ talk about Elizabeth or our daughter like that again," He told her coldly as his eyes took on a hard edge, gleamed like a finely honed blade.

Carly realized her mistake immediately. It irked her to no end but Jason fancied himself in love with the milquetoast waif and she couldn't say a word against her if she wanted to persuade him to help her. She could take care of Elizabeth later anyhow. If he wanted to keep the kid, she was sure that Elizabeth could be bought off and sent on her merry way.

"I'm sorry, Jase, I'm just upset," She said trying her best to look repentant.

Shrugging off her apology, Jason sighed again and ran a hand through his hair unmindful of the grease he hadn't bothered to wash off his fingers. "Sonny will take care of you and Michael. He isn't abandoning his family," He told her plainly. "And I will always be there for Michael."

It didn't escape her that she had not been included in his promise but that faze her much. She'd always been able to use her son to get Jason to do whatever she wanted. Things hadn't changed that much.

"But, you cannot keep antagonizing Elizabeth," He continued. "Especially when it upsets Lena."

"So I'm not allowed to come over anymore?" Carly asked looking hurt and for once, it was a sincere emotion.

"That's not what I'm saying," Jason answered shaking his head. "You just can't burst in and expect me to drop whatever I'm doing to help you. I have a family now, Carly."

Sneering at the word "family," Carly managed not to roll her eyes. It was clear now, more than ever, that she had to get rid of the Muffin once and for all. There just wasn't room in Jason's life for both of them and she would be damned if she was the one that left out in the cold.

"I understand," She told him quietly.

"Good. Now, I have to go and see if Lena is all right. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Jase," She responded with a little wave and a smile. As soon as he went back in his penthouse, the smile slipped into a smirk. She didn't know how but she was to be the one to win this little race. Little Miss Elizabeth didn't stand a chance.

Jason found Elizabeth sitting on the couch folding laundry when he went back in. The penthouse was silent so that had to mean that she had gotten Lena calmed down. For a little girl that had needed help breathing right after being born, she sure could scream the place down now. He was pretty sure she had inherited her mother's temper and mostly like her mouth as well. Not that he minded.

"Carly gone?" Elizabeth asked barely pausing to look at him.

"Yeah," He nodded. "Sonny just gave her divorce papers, she was upset."

"I bet."

"Carly's –"

"Self-absorbed? High-strung? Rude? A soul-sucked parasite?" Elizabeth supplied when he didn't seem capable of completely the sentence himself.

"I was going to say difficult."

"I prefer mine," She shrugged pulling a blue towel from the basket and deftly folding it.

"She's my friend," He said as if that explained it all.

Elizabeth snorted. "If she's your friend, I'd hate to meet your enemies."

"Elizabeth," He sighed.

"She's your friend Jason, not mine. I don't have to like her. I can _try_ to get along with her for your sake but I won't make any promises. If she attacks me then I'm not going to just stand back and take it."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"And I wouldn't expect you to quit being friends with someone just because I don't like them."

"Okay," He replied, satisfied that they had settled that with a modicum of debate and no fighting. It was remarkable progress for them. Turning to go back upstairs to continue to battle the faucet, in which it was winning, Jason paused when Elizabeth called after him.

"Just do me a favor, okay? Keep Carly away from me as much as you possibly can. Things will just go a lot smoother that way."

"I'll see what I can do," He said with a half-smile.

"Then that's all I can ask," She responded with a soft smile of her own.

They stared at each other for a moment, just smiling at one another and enjoying this moment of harmony before Elizabeth finally looked away.

Feeling as if some opportunity had been lost in that moment, Jason sighed silently. "I should get back upstairs."

"Okay, I have a couple of more loads to do."

Jason watched as she got up with the empty basket and traipsed off towards the laundry room leaving a stack of neatly folded towels on the coffee table. He was about to start up the steps when there was a knock on the door.

Hanging his head in dread, Jason groaned. With an air of defeat, he went and opened the door.

"Surprise, big brother," Emily smirked at him.

"Em?" Of all the people he expected to find at his door, his little sister was not one of them. "I thought you were in California at school."

"I'm on break and thought I should come home and meet my new niece. The niece you failed to tell me about."

"Yeah," He said sheepishly.

"But I've decided to forgive you," She said throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a tight hug.

Returning her fierce embrace, he picked her a few inches off the floor making her laugh. "It's good to see you. I missed you," He whispered in her ear.

"I missed you too," She responded as he set her back on her feet and she drew back to look at him, blinking back the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

"Come on," He said stepping back and opening the door a little wider so she could enter.

"Thanks," She grinned sweeping her long brown hair over her shoulder. "Oh, by the way, Grandmother and Reginald are on their way up."


	32. Chapter 32

**Flashfiction #171: Plans Change Part 32**

**Prompt: The man you are and the man you ought to be **

Dumping the last of the clothes into the washing machine, Elizabeth put in a little soap and slammed the lid before turning it on. It was insane the amount of clothes a teeny tiny baby amassed in a few short days. It seemed as if all she did was laundry these days and she despised doing the mundane chore.

When she had been in college, which wasn't that long ago, even if it felt like a million years ago, she had put off a trip to the Laundromat until she had absolute nothing clean to wear. She couldn't exactly do that anymore even though Lena had more clothes than she could wear in three months.

Wiping her hands on the thighs of her pants, Elizabeth turned off the light in the laundry room and went into the kitchen. She stopped to peek in the refrigerator and poked around. "Jason," She yelled. "Are you hungry?"

When he didn't respond, she thought maybe he had gone back upstairs. Stepping back and letting the refrigerator close, she went to go find him. She wasn't much of a cook but she could throw together some sandwiches without much trouble.

Going into the living room, Elizabeth stopped short when she discovered they had company. Jason was on one knee in front of a grand looking woman, holding her hand and speaking to her softly as she smiled down at him. A young woman not much younger than she was with long auburn hair was standing beside them grinning from ear to ear as a thin dark haired man lingered in the background.

Jason turned and the smile faded from his face as he stood. He hated to spring it on her but it didn't look like he had much of a choice. "Elizabeth, I'd like you to meet my Grandmother and sister."

She could do nothing but stare at him in shock for a few seconds. His grandmother and sister? Oh, God! She put a hand to her hair and realized that she had done no more than run a brush through it and scrape it up in a ponytail after her shower this morning. Her face was scrubbed clean and she had thrown on a comfortable navy blue tracksuit over a white tank top, not exactly the height of fashion. Definitely not how she pictured meeting Mrs. Lila Quartermaine, the grand dame of Port Charles society and Jason's very beloved and respected grandmother.

How could he do this to her?

How could he invite his grandmother and sister over and not tell her?

She was going to kill him.

She was going to –

Jason held his hand out and gave her a reassuring nod effectively putting a stop to her plotting of his demise. Stepping forward, she tentatively placed her hand in his and managed a shaky smile for their guests. She was not shy under normal circumstances but she was nervous as hell in this case.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Quartermaine," Elizabeth said and then nodded to Jason's sister. "You as well, Emily." Thank God, Brenda had given her a rundown on the Q family tree. If she hadn't, Elizabeth knew she would have been at a complete loss.

"Sorry to barge in on you without calling," Lila said with a kind smile. It was not lost on her that the young woman was feeling out of sorts at their unexpected visit. Nor was she blind to the fact that Elizabeth and Jason made quite the attractive couple as they stood before her holding hands. Sure, they looked a little awkward, as if they weren't one hundred percent at ease with one another, but they looked right together. "Emily really wanted to surprise Jason and I just couldn't refuse. I have so been looking forward to meeting you that I'm sure it was quite easy to convince me."

Elizabeth wasn't sure what to say and as she looked up at Jason, she saw that he wasn't going to be any help. "You're more than welcome any time," She finally said. "Please, let's sit down."

"This is Reginald," Lila said introducing the man that had stepped forward to help her maneuver her wheelchair between the chair and the couch.

"A pleasure Miss Webber," Reginald nodded.

"Reggie is our butler – sort of," Emily supplied. "At least Grandfather thinks he is but really, Reginald runs the entire house."

"What she means is, he is Grandmother's spy," Jason whispered into her ear stirring the hair at the nape of her neck causing her to shiver.

Emily plopped down in the chair and dropped her purple suede hobo bag on the floor. It was odd for her to be so quiet but she was immensely interested in observing Jason with Elizabeth. She smiled when Jason sat down on the couch and pulled Elizabeth down after him, never once releasing her hand. After talking to her mom, she was already pretty sure Jason was at the very least infatuated with the mother of his child but now that she'd seen them together and seen the way Jason looked at Elizabeth, she was positive that he was in love. It tickled her that her big brother looked so happy. Maybe a little unsure of himself but happy.

She had already tried to call Brenda for her impressions but she was locked in meetings with Ned at L&B. Not even her status as cousin had convinced Ned to let Brenda get on the phone. The former model had the lowdown on all the details of Elizabeth Webber and Emily was exceptionally interested in anything she could find out on Jason's new ladylove.

"Oh," Elizabeth said trying to jump up but Jason restrained her. "I should go get Lena."

"I thought she was sleeping," Jason commented.

"She is but –"

"Let the child sleep," Lila told her with another soft smile. "We'll just talk for a little while and get to know one another. Angelina might be awake by then."

"Okay," Elizabeth agreed half wishing that Lena were there so she had something to do or talk about.

"Brenda tells us that you are an art student at Port Charles University."

Shifting uncomfortably, Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, ma'am I was or I was going to be anyhow."

"Do you plan on going back to school?"

"Um, eventually I hope to. I – when I got pregnant I decided to defer and I'm afraid I probably lost my scholarship."

Jason frowned. He hadn't considered what Elizabeth might have missed out on while she was pregnant. Or even what she would do now that she wasn't. He should have known she would want to go back to school. If she did, she didn't have to worry about any scholarship. He'd pay for everything. Money was no object where she and Lena were concerned.

"Have you called the admissions office?" Lila inquired thinking that she knew the dean and his wife quite well and she might just make a call or two herself.

"No, not yet. It's been so crazy lately."

"Babies do tend to do that," Lila replied with a soft laugh. "Just take your time, dear. I assure you that PCU is not going anywhere."

"I should hope not," Emily said. "I'm transferring."

Jason sat up a little straighter as he looked at his sister. "You're moving back?"

"Yeah," Emily grinned. "I don't know why but I miss good ole Port Chuck and everybody here. Besides, I have a new niece and if I don't step in Brenda will spoil her all by herself and I won't get to have any fun."

"You cannot dye her hair purple," Jason told her flatly remembering his sisters penchant for changing her hair color on a regular basis and often leaned towards hues not normally found in nature.

"I would never dye a baby's hair purple," She responded with a glare. "I'll wait until she's at least three."

Elizabeth couldn't help it, she giggled. The look on Jason's face was just too priceless. When he glanced at her, she covered her mouth with her free hand to muffle another laugh. She could not help it. She always got giggly when she was nervous. And it was so rare that anyone, besides Brenda, gave him a hard time that it really was funny.

Emily shot an impish grin at Elizabeth. She had just found a new ally. "I'm going to go rescue Brenda from L&B later; do you want to have dinner with us tonight?" Emily asked. "We'll probably just go to Kelly's and stuff our faces with junk food. No big deal. You should come. Jason can be Mr. Mom for the night."

"I don't know," Elizabeth hedged. So far she hadn't left Lena for any reason and what's more, she didn't want to. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jason to take care of their daughter but she was still had some lingering feelings of panic leftover from Lena's delivery.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Emily urged.

Elizabeth looked at Jason to see what he thought and he squeezed her hand and nodded in response. "O-kay, dinner sounds good," She said still not sure it was a good idea.

"Great!" Emily exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and grabbed her bag. "Is five cool with you?"

"Uh-huh."

Nodding, Emily rooted through her bag for her cell phone. "Okay. So, I'm going to head over to L&B and make a nuisance of myself so Ned has no choice but to let Brenda leave with me. It shouldn't be hard. I'm exceptionally good and being a pain in the ass."

"So am I," Elizabeth laughed and then looked at the smirk Jason wore and laughed harder.

Emily grinned again and asked, "Do you want us to pick you up or do you just want to meet us there?"

"She'll pick you and Brenda up," Jason answered for her. "Francis will drive."

"Not the limo," Emily whined. "Jase, come on, the limo does nothing but draw a crowd."

Elizabeth gazed at Jason clearly agreeing with Emily about the limo. "Fine," He said looking directly into her eyes, letting Elizabeth know that he was doing this for her. "You can take one of the SUV's."

"That'll work," Emily relented. "Nice to see you're loosing up a little, big brother. Elizabeth, whatever you've done to him – keep it up."

With that, Emily flounced out of the penthouse, cell phone at her ear and winking at Max on her way to the elevator as he closed the door for her leaving Elizabeth to gape at her retreating back.

She had not done anything to Jason.

Seeing her opening, Lila took it. "Jason, I'm a little curious as to what your intentions are now that you are a father and you are living with Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's hand went limp in his and Jason looked over at her to see that she had gone pale. He knew what his intentions were. He had the ring upstairs in his sock drawer to prove it but so far, he hadn't shared any of that with her. She wasn't ready to hear it yet and he wasn't ready to be shot down.

When he asked her to be his wife and spend the rest of her life with him, he wanted to know he at least had a chance in hell that she would say yes.

Jason wanted to be damned sure he did not screw this up. He was only going to get one chance, of that he was sure of and there had never been anything more important to him than marrying Elizabeth.

He desperately wanted to be a family with Elizabeth and Lena. Not just how they were now, simply existing in the same space but a real family. He wanted to come home at night, kissing Lena goodnight and climbing in bed with Elizabeth. He wanted to do the normal everyday things like cooking dinner for them while Elizabeth fed Lena. He wanted to take family vacations down to the island and teach Lena to swim while Elizabeth waited for them on the beach.

If he played his cards right, he could have all that – all that and more.

"Things are complicated."

Jason was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard Elizabeth speak to his grandmother. Complicated was an understatement if you asked him. He was starting to spin fantasies about their future, something so far out of character for him, he was even surprising himself, and Elizabeth barely tolerated him.

Lila smiled and reached for Elizabeth's hand. Elizabeth grasped the older woman's hand firmly but with care. "Love is always complicated, dear," Lila told her, patting Elizabeth's hand comfortingly and sending her grandson a pointed look. "I'm sure you'll work it out."


	33. Chapter 33

**Flashfiction #172: Plans Change Part 33**

**Prompt: No Matter How Dark the Sunglasses, I Still See You **

If living well was the best revenge Carly the-soon-to-be-ex-Mrs. Corinthos figured she had exacted more revenge in a single day than most people could in a lifetime. Sonny may have served her with divorce papers but he had clearly forgotten to cancel her credit cards and take her name off their joint and very sizeable checking account. It sucked to be him – especially when he got the bills for her little shopping spree.

Collapsing at a table out in the courtyard of the diner her mother owned in exhaustion, Carly let her multitude of bags fall where they may. If she was going to start fresh, she might as well do it in a new wardrobe. Any why shouldn't she? Sonny could afford it.

He'd be lucky if she didn't bleed him dry.

He had it coming.

Revenge was a dirty business, she reminded herself as she examined her perfectly manicured nails. It was a good thing she didn't mind rolling around in the much once in awhile. If it meant that she got what she had coming to her then nothing and no one would stand in her way.

She'd be damned if Sonny just threw her out like yesterday's garbage. She had given him five years of her life. Stood by him through the good and the bad. Put up with the constant upheaval. She'd even looked the other way when he'd had his little fling with Alexis. Well, actually she'd driven her car off a cliff and played dead but that wasn't the point. The point was Sonny had learned his lesson then and he was going to get another one now.

Her darling husband had another thing coming if he thought she would just roll over and play dead because he decided he wanted to fool around with Little Miss Perfect Brenda. He would never admit it but she knew, just _knew _ that Brenda was at the heart of this divorce. The former model had wormed her way back into their lives and now Carly couldn't seem to get rid of her.

To make matters worse, they were multiplying. It was like an infestation.

Elizabeth Goody-Goody Webber had shown up and proceeded to wrap Jason around her little finger while she hadn't been looking.

God, it still chapped her ass that Jason had a baby with someone else.

It was as if her whole life was just slipping away from her. The harder she tried to hold onto it the more she seemed to lose like sand falling through her fingers.

"One thing at a time," She reminded herself.

Elizabeth or no Elizabeth, she had to get Jason firmly ensconced on her side. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that if she wanted to stay Mrs. Sonny Corinthos she had to have Jason's backing. He would be the one to convince Sonny that they had to stay together for Michael's sake. Jason was the only one Sonny would listen to. Jason would fix everything. He always did.

Looking around, Carly started to drum her nails on the table. The service around there sucked. She really needed to talk to her mother about getting some better help. She was a paying customer dying of thirst and yet not a single waitress had come out to get her order. There went their tip.

Disgusted with the world in general, she got up and went to the door. Apparently, she was going to have to go inside if she expected some service. Freezing with her hand on the doorknob, Carly gawked at the scene inside.

It was like something straight out of TV. Sonny and Brenda sat around a table talking and laughing with Elizabeth as Jason held his daughter to his chest, smiling gently down at her. The baby must have made some sort of noise causing Elizabeth to lean over, smooth a hand over the little girl's blond curls, and smile softly at Jason. It was enough to make her want to hurl. What really had her seeing red was the way Sonny had his arm draped casually and oh-so comfortably over the back of Brenda's chair.

How sickeningly perfect.

That should have been her in there with her husband and best friend. They had no right to sit there acting like they belonged. They didn't belong. The would never belong. She would never let them take over her life. It was hers. Hers dammit.

With one final look, Carly whirled around on her heel and stalked away, leaving her bags scattered on the ground.

Emerging from the shadows in which he lived and thrived, more ghost that man, he peered through the window of the diner with a nary an expression. His boss was not going to be happy about this. She just did not seem to be getting the message. They would have to do something more drastic next time.

Next time he would not miss.

**Harborview Towers: **

Jason was just finishing a solitary game of pool when Elizabeth came back downstairs from putting Lena down for her afternoon nap. The little girl was tuckered out from a full day of activity. First a check up at GH then a little shopping and finally lunch at Kelly's.

"She's out like a light," Elizabeth told him with a smile. "I think she could sleep through a herd of elephants stampeding through the penthouse."

"Brenda has that affect on people."

Despite herself, Elizabeth laughed. "Brenda's just … energetic."

"She's hyper."

"She's fun."

"If you say so," He shrugged as he racked the balls for a new game. Looking up, he quirked a sandy brow at her and asked, "You wanna play?"

Pretending to have to mull it over for a minute, Elizabeth finally nodded eagerly as she reached for the spare cue. Now that she was no longer pregnant, she could actually bend over the table. Chalking the end of her cue, she smiled in anticipation. Lord, how she had missed this.

"Your break," Jason said.

"Are you sure that's smart? You know as well as I do that I tend to run the table when I get a chance."

"You're rusty."

"Not that rusty," She said as she broke and sank three balls, two striped and a solid.

"Nice," He commented with a nod of approval on her shot. She was good, he'd give her that. She was also confident but that was okay with him, he liked a challenge.

"Thank you," She replied over her shoulder as she lined up her next shot. Sinking it with no problem, she moved around the table, running it just the way she had said she would. "Today was nice."

"Yeah, it was."

When she and Brenda had wound up at Kelly's after Lena's doctors appointment and running by Wyndamn's to pick up a few things, she had never expected Jason and Sonny to show up. Nor had she expected them to join her and Brenda for a nice long lunch. She had certainly never predicted that Jason would take the rest of the day off to come home with her and Lena. The man never ceased to amaze her.

Ever since Emily and Lila's visit last week things had changed between them. She could quite put her finger on it but it was good whatever it was. They seemed easier around on another. He teased her a lot more and she made him laugh when she gave it right back to him. She'd also caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking. It was odd but it didn't bother her. She'd done her share of looking as well. Who could blame her? Jason Morgan was worth a look or twelve dozen.

In any case, she was not going to over-analyze it. She was just going to enjoy it. She'd come to grips with the fact that she loved him but it was even more surprising to find that she genuinely liked him more. Jason wasn't exactly Mr. Life of the Party but he had a decent sense of humor. He was easy to talk to or just sit in silence with. She could not deny how great he was with Lena. Hell, he even put up with Brenda for her.

So far, there had been no talk of her moving out of the penthouse even though she had only promised to stay until after giving birth. Truth be told, she didn't want to move and if Jason's silence meant anything, he didn't want her to either.

She guessed getting the seal of approval from the Quartermaine's had helped. At least the Quartermaine women approved of her. Monica, Emily and Lila had made her feel more than welcome to call or stop by the mansion any time she wanted to. Emily called just about every day to give her brother a hard time and invite Elizabeth on any a number of outings. Lila had sent over little presents for all three of them on several occasions. The gift of a silver baby rattle that had been Jason's had been especially touching to her.

Elizabeth had yet to meet the infamous Edward Quartermaine and to be honest she wasn't complaining. While she might be able to hold her own with most people she had her doubts about the wily old coot – as Emily both lovingly and warningly called him. Jason's father, Alan, had kept his distance so far but had seemed increasingly curious the last couple of times she had seen him around town. She supposed it was to be expected. Jason wasn't exactly forthcoming with any kind of information. She and Lena had seemingly come out of thin air as far as the Q's were concerned.

Not that she could blame Jason for keeping quiet. She wasn't exactly dying to pick up the phone her parents to inform them that they were grandparents. Although, she would love to hear what their reaction would be to finding out that they were grandparents to a genuine mafia princess.

With her mind on other things, Elizabeth finally missed and she grudgingly turned the table over to Jason. She knew that despite her strong start, Jason would most likely wind up with the win. They were pretty evenly matched but Jason seemed to have a sixth sense or something. He was good and she prided herself on being a gracious loser. She didn't mind losing fair and square. She just preferred winning a little more.

Jason had just sank four very impressive shots in rapid succession when Sonny came in, knocking before he entered. "Sorry to interrupt," He said flashing Elizabeth an apologetic smile, "but I need to speak with Jason for a minute."

"No need to apologize, you're saving me from a humiliating defeat. Jason's about to beat the pants off me," She replied with a rueful smile.

"What's up?" Jason asked furrowing his brow. Last he knew everything was going fine at the warehouse. Things had been quiet as of late and he was grateful because that meant he had more time to spend at home with Elizabeth and Lena.

Sonny looked at Elizabeth and she handed her cue to Jason. "I'll just make myself scarce," She murmured as she headed for the stairs.

"Thank you," Sonny called after her. Looking back at Jason, he smiled. "Things are going better for you two."

"Yeah," Jason answered even though it had been a statement and not a question. He was pretty pleased with their progress as of late. He and Elizabeth had already been lovers, now they were working on becoming friends. Maybe it was a little backwards but he didn't regret a single minute of it.

"I know you don't want to leave Lena or Elizabeth for that matter any longer than you have to but –"

"But what?" His interest was peaked.

"Stan thinks he has a line on the person causing all the problems we've had."

"Problems? I'd call someone shooting at me and my very pregnant – Elizabeth," He said stumbling over the right title to give her, "more than just a _problem_."

Nodding in complete agreement, Sonny shoved his hands in his pockets and jingling the loose change there. The expensive new leather of his Italian shoes creaked as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

Jason sighed heavily, dropping the cues on the table and running a hand tiredly over his face. "Is it anyone we know?"

"No, this threat is coming from someplace new."

"Do we know what they want?"

"Not a damn clue," Sonny spit as a sour taste developed in his mouth.

"Who?" Jason asked simply.

"Ever hear of a guy named Reynaldo Juarez?"

Jason had an uncanny ability to remember both names and faces. If he had ever heard of this guy he would remember. He shook his head. "What do you want me to do?"

"Max has one of his guys, a gopher, at a safe house. He's not talking but he could probably be persuaded if someone was to ask the right questions in the right way."

Jason nodded. He knew what had to be done and he would be the one to do it.

Upstairs, Elizabeth stood in mute shock, staring at the baby monitor on Lena's dresser where she had been putting clothes away. She hadn't meant to listen. She had just been about to turn it off when she'd heard a name so familiar it could have been her own.

She didn't understand though. What could her uncle Rey possibly have to do with Sonny and Jason's business?


	34. Chapter 34

**Flashfiction #173: Plans Change Part 34**

**Prompt: Fear of Fire **

Elizabeth switched off the baby monitor afraid that she would hear something else she wasn't supposed to and did not want to. She didn't want to know about Jason's job. He had flat out told her that any questions she had would most likely would not be answered and that was for her own protection as well as his. That was fine with her. She knew enough already.

If Jason killed people on Sonny's orders – well, that was his business. She did not want to know what sort of criminal activities Sonny and Jason were into. Brenda had mentioned money laundering once or twice but she hadn't pressed for anymore details. As far as she was concerned, ignorance was bliss – in this case anyhow.

Maybe she was only fooling herself but whatever Jason did as Sonny's enforcer did not define him as a person. She truly believed that. As human beings, they were both complex and very complicated. She knew Jason well enough to know that he was one of complicated ones. It would be easy to classify him as a criminal or a killer or whatever but you could not do that. She was not simply an artist. She was a friend, mother and someone's daughter.

It was the exact same thing with Jason. He was someone's friend, a brother, a son and a father. He was also a businessman, a successful one at that. To say he was _just_ this or that wouldn't be fair. Elizabeth Webber did not believe in stereotypes. Sure, she was just as susceptible to them as anyone else was but that didn't mean she put much stock in them. Except maybe scattering them.

What really troubled her was that somehow, someway, they thought her uncle Rey involved with their business. It was impossible. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. She had every reason to because it simply wasn't true.

Rey Juarez wasn't really her uncle. He was her dad's college roommate and best friend. She didn't know the whole story but the darkly handsome and charismatic had been a surprise guest at her fifth birthday party. She remembered that first meeting with startling clarity. He had worn a dark blue suit that matched his eyes, a startling blue just like hers and when she had hugged him at her mother's prompting he had smelled of expensive cologne and peppermint. Instead of the dumb porcelain dolls her parents had given her every year and had continued to do until she was far too old for dolls, Rey had given her a paint set. Her very first paint set.

From that day forward, Uncle Rey had been present for every major milestone in her life. Even when her parents couldn't be bothered, he was always there. If it hadn't been for him, Elizabeth knew she would have dropped out of high school at sixteen and hopped on the first bus out of town to escape from her parent's house. Knowing how disappointed he would have been in her, kept her in school until graduation.

How could Sonny and Jason think he was – what, a mafia don?

It was preposterous.

Completely absurd.

Gnawing on her bottom lip, Elizabeth slipped from her daughter's room to stand at the top of the stairs waiting for Sonny to leave. If they thought Rey was responsible for everything that happened then that meant that they thought he was the one that burnt down their warehouse and worse – that he had been the one shooting at them on the docks.

Even more ridiculous.

Rey would never do anything to hurt her. She'd been pregnant then for crying out loud. The shooting had been partially if not completely responsible for sending her into premature labor. They had come damn close to losing Lena. Her uncle never would have done that. Not in a million years.

But if Jason thought differently … he might kill him.

She had heard Jason yelling – actually yelling at Sonny and some of the guards, Jason never yelled – that he wanted the person responsible for the shooting. He wanted more than a pound of flesh. He wanted blood. He wanted them dead and he would do it by his own hand if he had the opportunity.

At the time, that hadn't scared her. She felt the exact same way. The monster that had almost cost her her child, deserved to die. Given the chance, she would kill them with her bare hands. She was scared now though.

She was terrified that Sonny had been given false information and Jason was going to do something drastic. He was going to kill the wrong man.

Even though she knew she was supposed to stay out of Jason's business, she couldn't this time. He might get mad at her but she couldn't let him kill an innocent man – for her uncle was surely innocent. She had to talk to him. If she could just tell him that she knew of the man they spoke and they were wrong, she knew Jason would listen.

When she heard the front door click shut, signaling Sonny's departure, she didn't hesitate, she ran down the stairs. She had no idea what she was going to say but she had to do something. If Jason was angry with her for accidentally eavesdropping that was okay. She didn't care as long as he gave her a chance to explain.

At first, she didn't even see him but then he emerged from the closet holding a black locked box. "Jason," She said quietly as she wrung her hands together, "I –"

She stopped when he unlocked the box and pulled out a lethal looking gun. She supposed all guns looked lethal but it was the way that Jason handled it that made the words die on her lips. This was the man she loved. This was the father of her child and he handled the gun as if it was made to fit his hand. As if it was an extension of himself.

"I have to go out for awhile," He told her quietly. He hadn't planned on her coming down the stairs at that moment. He had been trying his best to keep her as far away from his business as possible. Maybe it was better this way, he told himself. She had to know exactly what she was getting herself into if she planned on sticking around for very long – say the rest of her life. He hoped like hell she _would_ stick around.

The news unstuck her tongue. "I have to talk to you," She announced hurriedly.

Jason looked up from checking his clip. "Something wrong with Lena?" He asked as he shoved it back into the gun.

"No. No, Lena's fine. She's sleeping." Her palms were sweating and she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. It was all she could do not to blurt everything out in a rush of disjointed and jumbled thoughts. She couldn't though. She had to keep her head and tell Jason calmly and clearly if she wanted him to listen and believe her.

Jason nodded as he tucked the gun in the waist of his jeans at the small of his back and reached for his leather coat. "Can it wait until later? I really have to go. Max is waiting for me."

"I – when do you think you'll be home?"

Lifting a shoulder, Jason answered, "Tomorrow morning at the latest. Why?"

As far as she knew, her uncle Rey was back home in Colorado or at his house in Kansas City. Jason wouldn't fly halfway across the country without telling her he was leaving town. He was just going out of the night to do whatever it was he did. "It can wait," She conceded. It would also give her time to organize her thoughts into something that sounded like a rational argument instead of incoherent ramblings. "It's important though."

Concern filled Jason's eyes and he took a few steps towards her. Even though he had closed the distance between them, he didn't reach out to her. "Are you okay?" He asked looking deeply into her eyes as if to determine the answer for himself.

"I – yeah, I'm fine," She answered. Honestly, she didn't know how she felt. For all she knew, she was losing her mind.

Nodding in acceptance of her answer, Jason said, "I won't be home tonight to put Lena to bed. We're reading a book on Venice."

"I'll read a chapter to her for you." Her pulse was going haywire from his proximity and she doubted if she could remember her own name if asked. Up-close Jason was even more handsome; his eyes even bluer and his mouth softer – especially now when he was smiling ever so slightly. Involuntarily, she swayed towards him.

Reaching out, Jason caught a curl that had escaped her ponytail and wrapped it around his finger without thinking about it. He heard her sharp intake of breath and unwound the silky chocolate tress from his finger to tuck it behind her ear.

Elizabeth was sure he would turn to leave any minute. Hell, she almost wished he would so she wouldn't do something horribly stupid like kiss him. Or worse, beg him to kiss her.

They stood there, just watching each other as the seconds stretched out unbearably. Jason could see her pulse throbbing at her throat and longed to put his mouth there. It had been so long since he had really touched her in any way other than in comfort. His gaze strayed from her eyes down to her mouth and watched as she nervously wet her lips with her tongue. He met her wide blue eyes as he touched her cheek with the pads of his fingers.

He was going to kiss her and they both knew it. If she didn't want him to, she would have to be the one to pull away.

When he started to lower his head, she rose up on her toes to meet him. Their lips were a hairsbreadth away from each other when her eyes drifted closed but he couldn't look away from her. She was so beautiful. Not just physically beautiful, although she was certainly that too, but inside as well. He loved her so much it hurt sometimes. It hurt because he knew she was far too good for him and that he would never truly deserve her. He wasn't even sure if he would ever get the chance to tell her how he really felt. That was if he could ever find the words to express his feelings.

He wasn't a man of words. He was a man of action.

"Jason! Let's go!" Sonny called as he rapped on the door.

Elizabeth's eyes flew open as she took a startled step back and Jason dropped his hand to his side as he cursed under his breath. When he met her gaze again, Elizabeth had the fingers of her left hand pressed to her lips. Her face was flushed with desire. Jason wanted to kill Sonny for his exceptionally poor timing.

"I gotta go," He told her lamely.

Nodding because she couldn't seem to speak, Elizabeth managed a weak 'bye.'

"Kiss Lena goodnight for me," He asked.

"Of course."

He turned to go but Elizabeth reached out and touched the cuff of his coat. She didn't try to grab him, just barely grazed the sleeve with her fingers before falling away. He froze and looked back at her.

"Be careful."

Nodding, he reached for the doorknob. He couldn't seem to turn it though. Casting a look over his shoulder, he saw her standing there watching him. Sonny was waiting and he had a job to do but he couldn't seem to force himself to care.

Elizabeth toyed with the neck of her t-shirt and tried to smile at him but her system was still buzzing. She felt oddly singed and that was only from a look. She would hate to think what would have happened if he had actually kissed her. Total sensual meltdown, she mused.

"The hell with it," Jason growled as he turned and then quickly closed the distance between them.

Elizabeth didn't even have time to wonder what he was talking about before he grabbed her and fused his mouth to hers. She could do little more than hold on as he kissed the breath out of her. And when he urged her mouth open, she moaned softly and welcomed him. His hands spanned her back and she wound her arms around his neck not wanting him to stop – ever.


	35. Chapter 35

**Flashfiction #174: Plans Change Part 35**

**Prompt: amnesia **

She was such a chicken. It had been three days since Jason had kissed the hell out of her and left the penthouse to take care of 'business.' Like an absolute fool, she has stood there and watched him go, too dazed to do or say anything else. If she had been smart, which she liked to believe she was most of the time, she would have told him everything she knew about Rey Juarez.

Three whole days without a single word from Jason, not even a phone call. Looking down at her daughter as she fed her, Elizabeth sighed. "Where on earth is your daddy?"

The little girl didn't even open her eyes, she just kept sucking on her bottle with single minded intensity. Lena had no concept of time. She didn't know that her father hadn't been home the past three nights to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight. Her mother did though.

If Jason _had_ been home, Elizabeth hadn't seen him. For all she knew he could be halfway across the world doing God knows what. She'd thought she understood his job. She had really thought that she could handle the long absences and not knowing where he was or what he was doing. Since she really didn't want to know what he was doing, she didn't mind that. Except for this time. This time she wanted to know what in the heck he was doing and where he was doing it.

"Mommy's an idiot," She sighed again.

She should have told him.

She should have told him that it could not wait and made him listen to her. Now, for all she knew, her uncle was dead or worse – something could have happened to Jason.

The phone rang and immediately hope bloomed in her chest. "Maybe that's Daddy," Elizabeth grinned as she picked up the phone. "Hello."

"_Hey Girlie!"_

"Hey Bren, what's going on?" Elizabeth tried not to be disappointed that it wasn't Jason but failed miserably.

"_He's still not back?"_

"No."

"_Don't worry, he'll be home soon," Brenda assured her._

"I hope so," Elizabeth responded sighing heavily. Her greatest fear was that Jason had done something stupid and gotten himself killed. If he were dead, she would never get to tell him that she loved him. On the other hand, she also wouldn't have to go through with the very trying matter of telling him that she knew Rey Juarez and convincing him that he had the wrong man.

"_Anyhow, I was calling to see what my two very favorite girls were up to today."_

"You mean other than sitting here waiting for Jason to come back?" Elizabeth asked feeling pretty disgusted with herself because she knew that was exactly what she would end up doing. It was so cliché and so not like her.

"_So, you're not busy then," Brenda giggled. "Consider yourself busy now. I'm down at L&B with Ned and we were talking about our new company logo – since I can't draw a straight line with a ruler and Ned isn't much better – he suggested we consult an artist. Isn't it lucky that I just so happen to know an artist?"_

Tucking the phone between her chin and shoulder, Elizabeth adjusted Lena in her arms. "You've lost me, Brenda, what exactly are you asking?"

"_I'm telling you to pack up Miss Angelina and get your butt down here. Ned wants to meet you anyway and we can discuss you designing our new logo. What you say?" _

"I think that if I don't get out of this penthouse soon, I'm going to lose my mind."

"_That wouldn't be good," Brenda laughed. "So, can you be here in about an hour? Ned has to get back to ELQ this afternoon for a board meeting and we're anxious to get things rolling here."_

"Yeah, we can do that," Elizabeth agreed. The prospect of actually getting back to her art sounded pretty darn good to her. "I just need to finish feeding Lena and grab a shower but we can be there in an hour."

"_Great!" Brenda was practically bouncing in her seat. It was going to be so much fun to work with her friend and she just knew Ned was going to adore Elizabeth. How could he not? "And listen; try not to stress out about Jason. This is what he does and as awful as it may sound, he's really good at it." _

"I'll keep that in mind," Elizabeth replied. "See you in a little while."

Hanging up, Elizabeth watched as Lena drained the rest of her bottle. The doctor said that she was doing great. She was still a little small but that was to be expected given she was a couple of weeks early. There didn't seem to be any ill effects of her premature arrival or her breathing problems right after delivery. Elizabeth was doing her best not to become a paranoid mother but it was hard not to worry. Lena was all she had. The most important thing in her life and the most significant thing she would ever accomplish in her life.

Setting aside the empty bottle, Elizabeth put Lena to her shoulder and rubbed her back. "Guess what, Sweetie, we are going to visit Auntie Brenda at the recording studio and meet your cousin Ned. Isn't that exciting?"

Lena's answer was a little burp that made her mother laugh. "Very well put, Miss Morgan."

Getting up, Elizabeth kissed Lena on the head as she went to the door. "Francis," She said upon opening it and looking out into the hall. For the first time in recent memory, Francis wasn't there though. Narrowing her eyes, Elizabeth assessed the young man in a badly cut blue suit. "Who are you?"

Gulping nervously, the young man tugged at the collar of his shirt. "I'm Will."

"Hi, Will, I'm Elizabeth," She said sparing him a small smile that didn't last. "Where in the hell is Francis?"

"Um, Mr. Corinthos had another job for him." Before Francis had left, he had given Will an intimidating lecture full of unspoken threats and some very graphic warnings about what would happen if Ms. Webber or little Angelina were to come to any harm. Will didn't want to think of what Mr. Morgan would do to him if something happened to his girlfriend or daughter.

"Fine," Elizabeth said shrugging it off. A guard was a guard she supposed. Sure, she preferred Francis or Johnny and Max in a pinch, because she knew them and Lena liked them but she could deal. "Lena and I will be going to L&B to meet with Brenda, could you go get the car ready?"

"Um," Will hedged as he tugged at his tie that was feeling more and more like a noose with every passing second. "I'm afraid I can't do that Ms. Webber."

"And just why not?" She demanded with that narrow-eyed, assessing look again that held a hint of challenge this time.

"I was told that, uh, you weren't allowed to leave the penthouse."

Positive that she must have misheard him, Elizabeth said, "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Webber, those were Mr. Morgan's orders."

"Are you telling me that Jason told you I wasn't _allowed_ to leave the penthouse?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Shock hit her first, followed quickly by anger. "That is just wonderful," Elizabeth muttered. "Just fucking fabulous."

"Was there anything else you needed?" Will asked unconsciously taking a step back. He had learned long ago that you did not mess with a woman in a temper and Ms. Webber was definitely in a temper.

"Just Jason's head on a platter," She said before closing the door in his face.

Very calmly, Elizabeth took Lena upstairs and put her in her crib. She started her mobile that played _Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_, kissed Lena once more and then left the room to go back downstairs. Lena didn't need to hear her yelling – and she planned on doing some yelling.

Stalking over to the desk, Elizabeth snatched up the phone and punched in the number to Jason's cell. As expected, it went directly to voicemail. "I don't care what you are doing or where you are at but you better get your ass home by tonight because we have some talking to do. If that's not possible then you better call me back. Oh and in case you haven't figured it out, this is Elizabeth."

Slamming down the phone, Elizabeth stood with her hands on her hips glaring at it for a moment. For three days, Jason hadn't bothered to come home and now he thought he could lock her in the penthouse like some fairy tale princess in the tower waiting for her prince to come. Well, Jason was no prince and she sure as hell wasn't a princess.

She thought they were passed this stage; the one where he tried to run her life. Guess not because apparently just as Jason had forgotten how to pick up a phone, he had also forgotten that she didn't like people telling her what to do.

Not allowed to leave the penthouse, huh? Since when did anyone _let_ her do anything? The last time her parents had tried that, she had packed her bags and left.

Grabbing the phone again, Elizabeth called Brenda, who picked up immediately.

"I'm not coming," Elizabeth told her without preamble.

"_Why not? Is something wrong?"_

"You could say that," Elizabeth answered darkly. "It would seem that I am a prisoner in my own – no, not my home. Jason's home," She quickly amended.

"_A prisoner?" Brenda repeated in confusion. "What's going on?"_

"I went out to tell Francis what was going on but Francis wasn't there. Instead, I found some kid I've never seen before, who told me that he couldn't let me leave the penthouse – on Jason's orders."

_Brenda groaned, "Oh, Jason, how could you?" _

"I don't know but he did."

"_Elizabeth, I know your mad, understandably so, but Jason wouldn't have done it if he didn't have a good reason." _

"Just like there must be a good reason he hasn't bothered to come home or call in three days?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Give me a break, Brenda. This is just like when he idecided/i I was moving in with him. He didn't give me a choice then. He just told me and proceeded to make it happen. He didn't care what I thought or wanted."

"_Jason's just –" _

"Don't bother making excuses for him, Brenda, I'm really not interested."

"_So what are going to do?" _

"I called him and left a message. If he doesn't call or come home by tomorrow … I'm done. He can take his so-called orders and shove them where the sun doesn't shine because I have been a second thought for my whole life and I am not about to stay somewhere I am not wanted."

"_Maybe I should come over," Brenda suggested. This was not a conversation they should have over the phone. _

"Yeah. Sure." Elizabeth agreed as she looked around the penthouse. The penthouse she had decorated in attempt to do something nice for Jason. There had barely been any furniture when she had moved in, now it was a home. Her and Lena's things were scattered around all over the place. It actually looked like someone lived there.

"_Okay, I am on my way." _

"It's not like I'm going anywhere," Elizabeth murmured as she picked up a framed photo she had taken of Jason holding Lena. Oddly enough, tears sprang to her eyes. She didn't understand how he could kiss her so sweetly, so passionately and then treat her like this. It just didn't make sense.

"_Elizabeth? You still there?"_

"Yeah, I'm here."

"_Just give me ten minutes, fifteen tops," Brenda told her. _

Setting the picture aside, Elizabeth looked around the living room again. Except for the pool table, there wasn't any evidence that Jason even lived there. She knew that the penthouse was just some place he slept on occasion. Silly her, she had actually thought it had become a home. She thought she had made it a home. A home for her, Lena and Jason; where they could be a family. They could be the family she had always wanted. However, Jason had to come home for them to try.

"Bren?"

"_Yeah?" _

"Do you – do you think you have room for me and Lena at the cottage?"

_Heart sinking, Brenda sank down on the turquoise velvet sofa. "You don't mean that." _

"Yeah, I do," Elizabeth stated firmly. "I can't stay here. Not anymore."

"_Just wait for Jason to come home and talk to him. Give him a chance to explain," Brenda pleaded. _

"Why should I? Why should I have to wait around for him? I have been waiting for him for three days, Brenda. You can't tell me he can't call. He doesn't go anywhere without that damn cell phone. It's like a freaking appendage. It's probably surgically attached. Are you telling me he can't spare two minutes to make a simple call?"

_Sighing, Brenda said, "You and Lena are more than welcome at the cottage for as long as you want." _

"Thanks Bren, I knew I could count on you."


	36. Chapter 36

**Flashfiction #175: Plans Change Part 36**

**Prompt: Sweet redemption, just in front of me **

It took a lot to aggravate him but he was aggravated now and he laid it all at the feet of one man, Rey Juarez. As far as he knew, he had never so much as laid eyes on the man, but Juarez was screwing with his life just the same.

The courier Max had grabbed was just a kid, barely out of high school - it was a real shame he had to die.

Jason had not enjoyed it. The kid had only made one real mistake – he worked for Rey Juarez. The kid's second error in judgment had cost him his life – he'd refused to answer Jason's questions.

For sixteen hours Jason and Max had interrogated him and he never once broke. Not many people could stand up to the kind of pressure and intimidation Jason provided but that kid did, with that stubborn determination only the young seemed to possess. In the end, they hadn't had any other choice. It came down to that us or them mentality and the kid had been on the wrong side.

With their only possible source of information gone, Jason had spent the past two days trying to get a line on Juarez but the man seemed to be more ghost than man. It was as if he didn't exist. According to the guy they'd sent out to Colorado, Juarez hadn't been there in almost four months. Nor was he at his family home in Kansas City. If he had any other property, it wasn't in his name. Not even his cars or plane were registered to him.

To top it all off, Carly was up to her old tricks. She had flown down to the island and told Michael about the divorce. Michael's response was to call Sonny; most likely at Carly's urging, crying and very angry with his father. The only thing Sonny could do, and Jason agreed it was the best course of action, was to fly down there and calm the boy down. Unfortunately, that left Jason holding the bag. As if Juarez wasn't enough of a problem, Jason still had to deal with coffee business and anything else that came up. It has been a long couple of days.

He had not slept for forty-eight hours and could not remember the last time he had put anything other than coffee in his stomach. All he wanted to do was go home to Elizabeth and Lena, have some lunch and take a nap on the couch with his daughter. If he played his cards right, he might even get Elizabeth to join them this time.

The thought made the corners of his mouth quirk up. For the past three days, when he allowed himself, all he could think about was the kiss they had shared. He didn't want to get ahead of himself but he believed he really might be getting somewhere with Elizabeth. Someday, someday soon even, he might even be able to give her the ring that still resided in his sock drawer.

With the idea of a peaceful afternoon ahead of him, Jason stepped off the elevator on the penthouse floor but stopped short when he saw the door standing wide open and not a guard in sight. Drawing his gun, he approached the door cautiously.

Brenda watched as Elizabeth haphazardly tossed her clothes into an open suitcase. No matter what she said, she just couldn't get Elizabeth to listen to reason. Oh, Elizabeth was calm. Her temper had burnt out last night around midnight when Jason had failed to come home or call as she had requested – or demanded, depending on how you wanted to look at it. Brenda had been with her the whole night talking and waiting for Jason to walk in the door. He never had though and Brenda really didn't want to be in his shoes when he did.

While it was true that Elizabeth had a temper – the girl was a firecracker – and Brenda had seen her angry but what scared her now was how calm and in control she was. Elizabeth was not shouting or raging, she was calm and in control. Or as calm and in control as someone could be when they were doing their best impression of a tornado and Elizabeth's was pretty darn good.

"Liz, are you –"

"Don't start on me again, Bren," Elizabeth said cutting her off before she could even finish the same question she had been asking all morning. "I gave him a chance. It's not like I'm the one that didn't at least try to speak to him. I left him three messages. I did everything but send him a damn smoke signal."

"But –"

"I have waited on his ass for four days and he has yet to come home or take a minute to call to check on his daughter. Even if he doesn't give a damn about me, which he so obviously doesn't, I thought he at least loved our daughter."

"He _does_ care about you! He cares about you both," Brenda protested in earnest.

Snorting, Elizabeth threw the last of her clothes into her bag. "He has a funny way of showing it."

"He screwed up," Brenda said lamely.

"Ya think?" Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth flipped her suitcase closed and then sat on it to get it locked.

Knowing she wasn't going to win, Brenda gave up – for now. Elizabeth might have won this round but there would be many more to come, especially when Jason decided to make an appearance. "I just want you to be sure."

Getting up, Elizabeth strode across the room to the bathroom. She started throwing her toiletries into a bag. When she went to open the medicine cabinet, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked like hell. Her face was pale and she had purple smudges under her eyes. Her hair was limp and lifeless but she couldn't help but see how sad her eyes were. More than anything, Jason's thoughtless actions had hurt her.

Even if she didn't love him, she trusted him and neither came easy for her. In a short time, Jason had earned both. He might not know it but he had gotten closer to her than anyone had in a long time.

Was she sure?

Not even close.

All she knew was that she couldn't stay somewhere she wasn't wanted. Jason's actions had shown her in a way that words never could that he didn't care about her wants or needs in the slightest. She'd had hopes for them though, some very high hopes. It had been so long since she had allowed her self to hope or dream. She felt like a fool now for the fantasies she had allowed herself to spin.

There were several lingering doubts. When she'd calmed down enough to really think about things, she'd found herself playing the 'what if' game. What if something had happened? What if Jason was lying by the side of the road hurt – or god forbid, dead? What if Jason had been arrested?

If Jason was hurt … or worse, she was going to feel like the world's biggest bitch.

Worst yet, what if Jason had figured out her connection to Rey? She should have never put off telling him, not for any reason. He had a file on her, she knew that for a fact. That was how he found her in the first place. It wouldn't take much digging to find out that Rey Juarez was an old family friend. He might not want anything to do with her now that he knew that she had ties to the man he and Sonny blamed for their current problems. Wrongly blamed, she reminded herself.

Even if that was the case, there was still no excuse for the way he had treated not only her but their daughter. She would _not_ let Lena grow up feeling like she had, like she didn't matter. Lena mattered. Lena mattered more than anything else in this world ever had. If Jason couldn't see that then he was an idiot.

So, no, she wasn't sure but she would do what she had to do.

"Do you want me to take this bag down, Elizabeth?" Francis called.

Quickly, she grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste and stuck them in the bag as well. "This one too, Fran," She said passing it over to him. Ironically, she'd had very little trouble in getting in with Francis and he'd wasted little time in coming over. "Brenda and I will be down in a few minutes with Lena so we can go."

"Sure thing," Francis agreed as he collected her bags and left the room. It wasn't his job to ask questions. It wasn't even his job to argue with her. His job was to keep Elizabeth and Lena happy and safe when Jason wasn't around to do the job himself. Well, Jason wasn't around and he knew if he didn't go along with whatever she wanted, she'd do it anyhow and get in a whole heap of trouble.

"I'm going to wait for you downstairs," Brenda told her, looking thoroughly disappointed. She had imagined Jason and Elizabeth living happily ever after with Little Angelina and it didn't look like that was going to happen. It was a crushing blow for someone used to getting everything she wanted.

"Okay," Elizabeth shrugged and then followed her friend out of the room. Brenda went down the stairs as Elizabeth went the other direction towards Lena's room.

The little girl was in her crib waving her fists around and staring at them in avid interest. "Hey pumpkin," Elizabeth greeted in a cheerful voice, the polar opposite of what she was feeling. "It's time to go for a little ride," She said lifting the baby out of her crib.

Jason tensed as he heard footsteps on the stairs, letting out a slow, measured breath he leapt into the room and leveled the gun at the intruder. It wasn't an intruder though, it was only Francis.

"What in the hell is going on?" Jason demanded as he lowered his gun.

"I think you better ask Elizabeth," Francis responded soberly.

Noticing the luggage the guard held and recognizing it as Elizabeth's, Jason felt his heart sink. "She's leaving." It was not a question and Francis did not bother responding.

Jason let the other man pass and looked up when he heard someone coming down the steps. Without knowing it, he held his breath. Instead of Elizabeth, however, it was Brenda that came into view on the landing.

When Brenda saw him, she shot him a withering glare and then shook her head. "So nice of you to finally show up. I just hope it's not too late."

"Too late for what?"

"Too late to stop Elizabeth from leaving your ass," Brenda answered as she descended the stairs. "Where in the hell have you been for the past three and a half days?"

Hanging his head and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, Jason sighed heavily. "I was working."

"Working?" She repeated with a sneer. "Well, Jason, I hope that _work_ keeps you warm at night because you really fucked up this time."

Since he was already stretched beyond his limits, Jason gave in and asked, "What exactly did I do this time?"

Laughing in a way that completely lacked any humor, Brenda shook her head again as she asked, "You actually have to ask? Tell me Jason, when is the last time you checked your voice mail?"

He didn't know what checking his messages had to do with anything but this was Brenda he was talking to. "My battery died two days ago."

"I'd think about charging your phone and listening to them soon – like in the next two minutes because that's how long you have before Elizabeth comes down."

"Too late," Elizabeth announced as she appeared on the stairs holding Lena in her arms, the diaper bag slung over her shoulder.

"Right, well, that would be my cue to leave," Brenda announced looking very much like she was going to run for it.

"Wait," Elizabeth called. "Take Lena down to the car and get her buckled into her seat."

"Sure," Brenda agreed as she took the little girl and the bag from the other woman. "Come on, you gorgeous thing you," She cooed as she took Lena and left, sparing Jason a pitying look as she went.

Elizabeth stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Jason. "Are you okay?" She asked coolly.

"Yeah," He nodded watching her warily.

"Good, I was worried."

"So, you're leaving because I worried you? I told you what my life was like. It's not going to change just because I have a family now."

"When have I ever asked you to change, Jason? Name one time I have asked you to change. I've only wanted two things from you; your trust and your respect. I understand that those things take time to earn and maybe I haven't earned them but you could spare me, at the very least, a little common courtesy."

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked incredulously.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Elizabeth said, "Do you want to know what happened when I tried to go out yesterday afternoon? Let me save you the trouble of guessing and just tell you. Some guard I have never laid eyes on before informed me that I was not _allowed_ to leave the penthouse. I thought he must be joking. He wasn't though because apparently it was 'Mr. Morgan's orders.'"

"It wasn't safe for you to run around town. Things are … unstable right now."

"I can understand that, Jason. What I don't understand is why I had to find out from some stranger and not you. How long does it take to call me and tell me exactly what you just said?"

"I was busy," Jason shouted without meaning to. Getting into a shouting match wouldn't help matters any.

A look of pure outrage crossed her face and Elizabeth to take a step back and composer herself before she said something she didn't want to. "I can't do this, Jason," She told him wearily. "I must have misunderstood you when you explained your life to me because I would have remembered you telling me you had the right to lock me in the penthouse. I am not going to be a prisoner. I was a prisoner for eighteen years in my parent's house and I can't do it again. I can't live like that. I can't stay somewhere I am not wanted. I won't be a burden to you."

"That – that's not what I meant," Jason replied as he ran a hand through his hair. All he had been thinking about was the job. He had to find Juarez. He also wanted to know Elizabeth and Lena were safe and he did that in the only way he could at the time. He didn't understand why she couldn't accept that.

Shrugging, Elizabeth said, "I'm real glad you're alright, Jason." Tears burned the back of her throat. She thought this would be easier but it wasn't. "Lena and I will be at Brenda's cottage if you need us."

"You're just going to leave?" He asked in disbelief.

"You didn't leave me much of a choice," She responded quietly with a pained look as if it pained her to say. "I just – I'll never keep Lena from you. I want you to know that. You can see her anytime you want. You're her father. S-she loves you. She needs you."

Jason didn't get to respond because Elizabeth fled out the door and into the waiting elevator. She was gone before Jason could even move. It was as if he were rooted in place. He just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around what had just happened. It didn't make sense to him.

Elizabeth sank to the floor as the door to the elevator slid shut. Pulling her knees to her chest, she laid her head on them and wept the tears she could not fight any longer. She really wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing at all anymore.


	37. Chapter 37

**Flashfiction #176: Plans Change Part 37**

**Prompt: "The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away" **

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird," Brenda sang as she rocked Lena. If her voice was a little off key Lena wasn't complaining and Brenda was having a rather good time babysitting while Elizabeth was at L&B meeting with Ned.

"And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass."

Brenda paused and thought about the song lyrics for a moment. "Honey, your daddy is loaded; if that 'diamond ring turns to brass' he can do a heck of a lot better than a looking glass."

Lena just peered up at her with innocent blue eyes as if hanging on every word as she sucked on her fist. "And let me tell you, if the diamond ring turned to brass, daddy's gonna pop a cap in the salesmen's ass," Brenda informed her with a giggle. "You may be too young for this but the two dirtiest words in a woman's vocabulary are _Cubic Zirconia_. They don't say diamonds are a girl's best friend for nothing."

Lena giggled and Brenda smiled. "Are you following me here, Sweetie? Of course you are," She said answering her own question since Lena couldn't, "you're such a smart girl."

She pressed a kiss to Lena's forehead and then asked, "Okay, so how does the rest of the song go? There's something about a cart. I think."

The doorbell rang then causing Brenda to sigh. "Who do you think it is?" She asked Lena as she got up. "Maybe it's daddy with that diamond ring. Whoever it is I hope they know the rest of the words to this song or Auntie Brenda is going to have to improvise and we definitely don't want that." 

Adjusting Lena in her arms, Brenda opened the door and smiled when she saw who her guest was – Sonny. "Well, this is a surprise. I thought you were visiting Michael and cleaning up another one of Carly's messes," She said as she let him in and closed the door with her foot.

"I just got home," Sonny replied but his real focus was on Lena. He ran a finger down her cheek and smiled when she tried to grab it. "You forget how small they are," He said quietly, almost to himself. Lifting his gaze, he smiled at Brenda. "Don't tell me Jason actually let his little girl out of his sight not to mention left her with you."

The smile Brenda wore faded and she quickly turned away. She placed Lena in her bouncy chair, not that the little girl could do much bouncing but she liked to sit there and just chill and usually take a nap. "Um, well, you could say something like that," She hedged.

Immediately suspicious, Sonny mentally steeled himself for whatever had happened in his absence. "What's going on?"

Knowing that Sonny wouldn't believe her if she said 'nothing,' Brenda sighed heavily and asked, "Have you talked to Jason yet?"

"No," Sonny answered warily. "Why?"

With a rueful look, Brenda shook her head sadly. "Your boy screwed up. He screwed up big time."

**Harborview Towers: **

Jason wiped the fog off the bathroom mirror with one hand and got a good look at his haggard face. After four days with no sleep and one too many beers last night, he was looking much older than his thirty-two years. Running a hand over his chin he knew he needed to shave but it seemed like too much trouble and he could not come up with a single reason why he should bother. So, he didn't.

Instead, he brushed his teeth and threw on a pair of well-worn jeans; frayed at the hems and washed so many times they fit like a second skin. He ran a towel through his hair once more and then flung it in the direction of the hamper. It didn't quite make it in so that half of it hung over the rim like a white flag.

He turned off the lights and went into his bedroom to find that he was no longer alone. The bed he had just made minutes earlier was rumbled and a woman was sprawled suggestively across the end of the bed wearing nothing but a slip of black silk and lace as well as an inviting smile.

Unfortunately, it was the wrong woman.

It really shouldn't surprise him because this was what she always did but he had really thought they were past this. He had thought or at least hoped she had learned her lesson the last time she had tried this. "What do you think you're doing, Carly?" He practically growled. He was so not in the mood for one of her stunts.

"You look tense Jase, I bet I could help relieve some of that tension for you," Carly purred as the strap of her slip fell from her shoulder.

Gazing up at the ceiling praying for the patience he knew it would take to deal with his friend, Jason sighed and then looked back across the room. Shaking his head, he marched over, grabbed her clothes off the floor and tossed them at her. "Get dressed and stop embarrassing yourself."

"Oh, come on Jason, we used to be so good together. We could be again," Carly told him. "No one would have to know."

Shaking his head, Jason went over to the dresser and pulled a t-shirt out of the drawer. "Just get dressed, Carly," He told her as he pulled his shirt on over his head.

"Your little waif doesn't appear to be home and she obviously doesn't know how to fulfill your needs."

"Elizabeth's gone."

"Exactly!" Carly exclaimed as she got up and started to towards him.

"No," Jason said turning around to face her. The look on his face stopped her in her tracks. The word destroyed didn't even begin to describe the way he looked. "Elizabeth left. She moved out."

"What? Is she crazy?" Carly demanded, immediately angry on Jason's behalf.

"No, just angry," Jason muttered but Carly wasn't listening.

"Who in the hell does she think she is? That little witch," She spat as she started pulling on her clothes. "I always knew she was trouble. Didn't I tell you she was nothing but a scheming little whore? I could just –"

"Carly! Stop."

Whirling around, Carly looked at him in confusion. "You can't actually be sad she's gone?"

Turning away from her, Jason swallowed around the softball-sized lump that had seemingly taken up permanent residence in his throat. "You should go home."

Carly gaped at him. He was almost crying and over Little Miss Muffin Face too. She couldn't believe this. Didn't he know that he didn't need Elizabeth or anyone else – he had her? Angry with Jason now, she jammed her feet into her shoes as she glared at him.

"Don't waste your time crying over her, Jason. She was just some little nobody from God knows where. She's not worth it."

His gaze flickered over to hers for a moment and then away again, dismissing her. "I'll walk you out."

Huffing and puffing, Carly followed him down the stairs trying to get him to see reason. Jason wasn't having any of it though, he opened the door and stood beside it, the message clear, _Get out. You aren't welcome here_.

"I'll talk to you later," He told her, still not meeting her eyes.

Carly stalked past him and into the hallway but turned around to face him again. "You are being such a fool. She was only ever after your money. She didn't give a damn about you."

Jason hung his head but Carly saw him flinch as if her words had physically stung. He shook his head as if to clear it and then looked up at her. "Sometimes it's really hard to be your friend," He told her quietly and then stepped back to close the door on her shocked face.

**The Cottage: **

"So, she just left?" Sonny asked incredulously. "She didn't even let him explain?"

Brenda lifted a shoulder and reached over to adjust Lena's blanket. "This is Elizabeth we are talking about here. She doesn't wait around for answers, she acts. She's angry and rightfully so might I add, but she's not happy here and it's only been one day. She misses Jason."

"He was just doing his job," Sonny said in Jason's defense. "I'm sure she was worried when he didn't come home but that's the job. If Elizabeth wants to be part of Jason's life she is going to have to adapt."

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Brenda asked, "Did you hear a word I just said? It wasn't that he didn't come home. At least not _just_ that. He didn't call her to let her know that he was still alive and then he decided to pull his little stunt."

"It wasn't – and still isn't – safe for her to be running around town, especially not with Lena. They are too attractive of a target."

Brenda leaned back in her chair and just looked at him as if this was the first time she were ever really seeing him. "Well, no wonder Jason thinks it is okay to treat a woman he supposedly loves like this, he learned it from the master."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean," Brenda replied with a sneer. "You don't want a mate you want someone you can order around and obey your every wish. You don't need a woman, you need a dog. Dog's can be trained, people, least of all women, are not going to sit back and let someone order them around so that they'll get a pat on the head for being such a good little slave. God men suck!"

"So the answer is to turn tail and run because you are too stubborn and have too much pride to stick around and listen?" Sonny asked trying to reign in his temper. "Things get tough so you just runaway?"

"I don't know, you tell me. You've done plenty of running in the past."

Sonny knew she was referring to him leaving her at the alter. That felt like it may have happened in another lifetime. They were such different people now. He was more damaged than ever and Brenda was still trying to accept that she had years and years ahead of her.

"At least Elizabeth still has her self-respect. She didn't just sit there and take it because someone – some _man_ decided that was the way it was going to be. At least she had the good sense to get out before he completely destroyed her."

They both knew they weren't arguing about Jason and Elizabeth anymore, this was about them. This was about their past and the things they'd done to each other and to themselves. There were still some wounds that had not completely healed. Wounds that were ripped open again because they hadn't been properly healed in the first place.

A knock on the door prevented him from responding but Sonny thought that might be for the best. He didn't want to do this with Brenda, not again.

Brenda jerked open the door and was once again surprised to find an unexpected visitor. This one even more surprising than Sonny's arrival had been. "Lorenzo?"

"Is this a bad time?" He asked staring past her towards Sonny.

"No," She replied. "No, it's not. Sonny was just leaving."

"Like hell I am. I'm not leaving you alone with him."

Ignoring Sonny, Brenda stepped back to open the door wider. "Please come in and make yourself at home."

Lorenzo knew that she was only being so welcoming to stick it to Sonny for whatever reason but he didn't care. He only wanted to say his peace and then leave. If he could help her out a little before he did then so be it. "Thank you," He said with a smile as he entered the house and looked around. "You have a lovely home," He told her politely but sincerely. The little cottage was like something out of a fairytale but befitted the woman that lived there very well.

"It's home," She laughed as he moved past her. Instead of closing the door, she stood there holding it open while she gave Sonny a very pointed look. _Get out. You aren't welcome_ _here_ was her silent message.

Snatching up his jacket, Sonny went for the door but he stopped just in front of her. "This isn't over and I am not leaving until he does."

"Fine," She shrugged, "but you're waiting outside."

"Fine."

Brenda resisted the urge to slam the door because it would be both petty and childish but also because she didn't want to upset the napping Lena. Although, she wasn't sure how the little girl had slept through her somewhat noisy "discussion" with Sonny. Babies were such strange creatures.

"So, what can I do for you?" She asked Lorenzo with a forced smile as she was still seething.

Lorenzo was watching Lena but when Brenda spoke, he lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Is this Morgan's daughter?"

"Yes, I'm babysitting." Brenda knew without a doubt that Jason would have kittens if he knew Lorenzo had been anywhere near his baby girl.

"She's beautiful," He said and then went to sit in the armchair furthest away from the sleeping infant as if he knew precisely what she had been thinking.

"She's gorgeous," Brenda agreed. "I tell her so at least once a day."

Lorenzo nodded as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and then pulled a white envelop out of its inner pocket. He laid it on the coffee table without explanation and then said, "I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving town within the hour."

"Oh?" She asked in surprise. Skye's trial hadn't even started yet and Lorenzo had been so bent on avenging his brother's death that she had been sure he would stick around to see it all play out.

"Sage is – she is not handling her father's death very well. After speaking with her school's counselor I've decided to pull her out and take her home with me for awhile."

"I'm sure it'll be a comfort for both of you to have each other," Brenda told him with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not sure how much of a comfort I will be," He confided with a rueful smile. "I'm not exactly parent material but Sage has always hated boarding school and I thought … maybe just a semester away so she can grieve privately would be good for her."

He sounded so unsure of himself and so unlike Luis, that Brenda couldn't help but sitting on down on the arm of the couch and taking his hand in hers. "I'm sure Sage will appreciate that. She must be really upset."

"She never really knew Luis. Her memories are a little girls. He is still her hero. Perhaps that is for the best," He said but it wasn't clear if he was speaking to her or only merely thinking aloud for his own benefit.

Clearing his throat, Lorenzo pulled his hand from her grasp. He was embarrassed to have told her those things but there were so very few people he could talk to about Luis and the problems his brother had left behind. It seemed right to tell her though. Brenda was easy to talk to and she had known Luis, maybe not the best of him but well enough to understand that although he had not been all bad. The life had taken its toll on him. It had turned him into a monster. It reminded Lorenzo once more of the dangers this business held and further strengthened his resolve that he would not suffer the same fate.

"In any case, I wanted to give you something to make up for all the pain my brother caused you," He said nodding towards the envelope. "I cannot give you the time you lost back. I can't give you much of anything other than money. I have more of that than any person has right to have."

"Lorenzo," Brenda protested.

"No. No, you should take it. You have to take it," He insisted. "Please, for my sake – and even for whatever was left of Luis's soul."

"I can't."

This time it was he that took her hand in his and covered it with the other. "Please take it Brenda. I don't care what you do with it. Cash it, give it away, burn it; I don't care but let me do something for you."

"You don't owe me anything, Lorenzo. I went with Luis willingly and I stayed with him because I wanted to."

"You are very kind and far too generous," Lorenzo murmured as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it briefly. Then he released her and stood. "I have to leave, my plane is waiting."

"Oh, okay," Brenda responded dumbly as she stared up at him in bewilderment. You would have thought she would be happy to get rid of him but for some reason she was sorry to see him go.

He was already at the door when he turned around and looked at her with a small smile. "Have a good life, Brenda, you deserve it."


	38. Chapter 38

**Flashfiction #177: Plans Change Part 38**

**Prompt: Very quickly you feel incredibly old after you leave the show. What happens is that people come in, you're 31, and then all of a sudden you're 40 in the blink of an eye, and then there's a cast member who's 24, looking at you like you're Chevy Chase or Dan Akroyd and shaking when they talk to you. And you go, "But I was just the new guy a second ago." Dana Carvey **

Sometimes – okay, most of the time – Elizabeth felt ridiculous being driven around in the back of a black Lincoln with tinted windows by a driver with her very own bodyguard like some movie star. It drew unwanted attention everywhere she went and she hated when people stared. Leaning back into the plush leather seat as she flipped through her sketchbook she had to admit that it sure beat taking the bus.

Her meeting with Ned had gone well. Better than well actually, she thought with a smile. She had a job, a job that did not involve serving chili fries and hamburgers to immature teenagers and going home smelling like grease. Ned didn't seem to mind that she had no experience with advertising. They agreed that she would start with designing L&B's new logo, which would be used on everything from business cards and letter heads to the neon sign that would go up at their office.

She could not believe how excited she was to get this opportunity. It was a major step forward for her but it didn't escape her that she was only getting this shot because of Brenda – and maybe partially because of Jason. Ned hadn't said a word about Jason but he'd been more than a little curious about her and had not bothered to hide it. He wasn't rude or overtly inquisitive just curious and she didn't mind. It was to be expected as Ned _was_ Jason's cousin. It didn't matter why she'd gotten the job only that she was getting the chance to prove herself as an artist. At least that was going to keep telling herself.

Looking up when the car pulled to a stop, Elizabeth was surprised to see a limo parked in the drive. Shrugging, she shoved her sketchbook back in her messenger bag and smiled at Francis when he opened her door and offered his hand. "Thanks, Fran," She murmured as he helped her out of the car.

The guard simply nodded in response and then followed her up the flagstone walk. When Elizabeth stepped up onto the porch she found out whom the limo belonged to as Sonny was sitting in the porch swing. She wasn't so much surprised to see him there as she was that he was sitting outside alone.

"Sonny," She greeted with a nod and a polite smile. The mobster intimidated the hell out of her but she was determined not to show it.

"Elizabeth," He returned with a tight smile.

"Are you coming in?" She asked as Francis opened the door for her. It was clear that Francis did not want her to be out in the open any longer than she had to be, not even out here.

"No, I don't think so."

"Oh, okay. Um, do you want me to get Brenda for you?"

Sonny mulled that over for a moment and then said, "Actually, I'd like a word with you."

That surprised her. In all the months that she had lived across the hall from him, they had only had a few passing conversations. _Hello. How are you? How is the baby? Nice weather isn't it?_ and that sort of thing. "Sure," She replied warily. "Just let me go put my bag inside and check on Lena real quick."

"Take your time."

"W-would you like some tea or maybe coffee?"

"No, thank you."

Elizabeth nodded and then disappeared into the house with a perplexed frown. She found Brenda laying on the floor in front of Lena in her bouncy chair, dancing a stuffed rabbit around and humming to entertain the little girl.

Brenda looked up and smiled. "Mommy's home," She announced. "So, how'd it go?"

"I got the job," Elizabeth answered with a distracted smile as she cast a look over her shoulder to look out the window. "Did you know Sonny is outside?"

"Yes, I did. I'm wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't out there peeing on the trees to mark his territory."

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head as Brenda rolled her eyes. "What's going on?"

"I had to kick him out when Lorenzo showed up. I couldn't take all the macho chest thumping."

"Lorenzo Alcazar was here?" Elizabeth asked in avid interest. "What'd he want?"

"He's leaving – or I should say, he's left town. He wanted to say goodbye." Brenda shrugged and tried to act natural.

"Sure, because you two have become such good friends," Elizabeth said sarcastically.

"He's not that bad," Brenda defended.

"Yeah, he's just dreamy, except in this case I mean a nightmare."

"You've been listening to Jason too much."

Elizabeth looked stricken at the mention of her ex-whatever's name. The wound was still too fresh, which wasn't surprising since she had just moved out the day before. For all her bravado, Elizabeth really wasn't as unaffected as she would have everyone believe.

"Sonny's waiting for me," She said as she dropped her bag on the couch. "He wants to talk about something with me. I'm pretty sure it has to do with Jason. What else could it be?"

"Want me to get rid of him for you?" Brenda asked more than ready to go another round with him.

"No, that's okay." Elizabeth bent down to kiss her daughter on the forehead and adjust the blanket Brenda had spread over her. "It's not like I wasn't expecting it."

"Yeah, but Sonny's probably not in the best mood right now considering the argument we got in before I kicked him out."

"What were you arguing about?"

"Well, we were talking about you and Jason –"

"You argued about me and Jason?" Elizabeth interrupted.

"No." Brenda shook her head and sighed. "We were talking about you guys and then we started arguing about us." It wasn't for the first time that Brenda wondered if the reason she was so invested in Jason and Elizabeth's lives because they reminded her of her and Sonny. The situation was different but there was just something about their relationship that really struck a chord with her.

"Normally, I'd ask but right now I have to go talk to Port Charles' very own Mafia Don. It's probably not wise to keep him waiting – he might have me whacked."

Brenda had to stifle a giggle as Elizabeth rolled her eyes and went back outside. Turning to Lena, who had the ear of the rabbit in her mouth and said, "Don't worry, Sonny would never put a hit out on your mommy – Daddy Jason would take him for a long drive in the woods and throw him in a shallow grave."

Sonny wasted little time in getting down to business. As soon as she sat down next to him on the swing, he launched into his defense of Jason. It was no less than she expected but it rather grated on her nerves. What in the hell did Sonny know about her relationship, or lack there of, with Jason?

"What you have to understand about Jason is that he has this single-minded intensity about his job. When he's working he shuts everything else out. It's the job and nothing else. He can't let his mind stray because it could cost him his life," Sonny explained. "That doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you and Lena. It means he cares too much."

Elizabeth nodded to acknowledge that she was listening and she was but she was irked that it was Sonny instead of the man in question. If Jason really cared he would be there pleading his own case. If he cared, he wouldn't have let her leave in the first place. Part of her was glad that he hadn't tried to stop her because she knew that if he had she never would have left.

She did not want to be the kind of woman that sat around and waited for her man. First of all, Jason wasn't even hers. He never had been. And she would be damned if she accepted crumbs from some man just because she had foolishly fallen in love with him when he couldn't show her a little common courtesy.

"Jason isn't used to having someone at home waiting for him and worrying about him," Sonny continued.

"I wasn't aware it was a crime to care about someone or expect to be treated with a little respect."

It was the first time she'd actually spoken since she sat down and Sonny was a little taken aback by her tone. He wasn't used to being spoken to in such a manner and a sharp retort was on the tip of his tongue. He shrugged it off though because he knew if reprimanded her like some petulant child it would only had fuel to the fire. If he had learnt one thing about Miss Elizabeth Webber after living across the hall from her for five months, it was that she had a very short fuse. A fuse you were better off not lighting if you could help it.

Not for the first time, Sonny wondered if that was what Jason loved about her – all the barely – if at all – restrained passion. She was Jason's polar opposite in that way. He was so much in control all the time, his emotions shut off and closed off from the rest of the world. Sonny was willing to bet good money that Elizabeth reminded Jason what it was like to be alive.

It didn't make sense that they should throw everything away because they were too stubborn to admit their feelings. If they didn't have so much pride they might actually be able to talk about their problems and come to some sort of compromise. Love really was wasted on the young.

Aware that he would have to choose his words carefully, Sonny said, "That wasn't what I was trying to say."

"No, you were just trying to tell me how wrong I was to leave Jason. Never mind the fact that he made me feel like a second-class citizen, like I didn't matter in the least because his job comes first. I don't ask for much Sonny and I expect even less but I will not be an obligation. I will not stay somewhere I am not wanted. I've already been there and I won't do it again. Jason loves his daughter. I've never tried to refute that and I also won't try to keep him from her because she needs both her parents. No one knows that better than I do. So, why don't you go back to Jason and tell him that he can come see Lena any old time he wants. I will not try to stop him. I also won't start a fight with him because it won't solve a damn thing."

"Are you through?" Sonny asked with a dark look.

"Yes, I am and so are you," She responded with a glare of her own as she stood up. "Have a great afternoon."

Watching her disappear into the house, Sonny couldn't help but sit there in stunned disbelief. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened but he did know that in his attempt to help he had probably just made things worse.

Women, he thought with a shake of his head, would never make sense to him.

_Baby Einstein_ was playing in the background even though Lena was sound asleep but Elizabeth didn't feel like getting up to turn it off and she couldn't find the remote control. It wasn't bothering her anyhow as she had her sketches strewn across the coffee table and onto the floor while she worked. Ned said to take her time but she was anxious to get started. It had been a while since she had stretched her creative muscles and it felt good to get back to her art.

Humming along to the music on the television, Elizabeth almost didn't hear the soft knock on the door. Tempted to ignore it, she waited to see if they would go away. However, they didn't and the knocking just became more insistent. Afraid that it would wake Lena, she got up; almost tripping over her shoes where she'd kicked them off, and ran for the door.

Jerking it open, Elizabeth was a little surprised to see Jason standing awkwardly on the porch poised to leave. "Hey," She said.

"Hey," He responded with a nod.

"Sorry I was, uh, working." When she tried to run a hand through her hair, she found that she couldn't. She had gathered her hair up in a hasty bun and stuck a pencil through it to secure it. Blushing she drew it from the knot and raked her fingers through it to give it some order. "Come on in."

When he brushed past her, he noticed she had a smudge on her cheek and Jason wanted so badly to reach out to wipe it away. He didn't trust himself to touch her though and he was even more afraid that she might recoil if he tried.

"Lena's asleep but I doubt she'll protest if you wake her up," Elizabeth told him as they went down the steps to the living room.

Jason crouched down in front of Lena and picked her up without waking her. He bent his head to kiss the top of her head and breathed in her fresh baby scent as he cradled her in his arms. He hadn't seen or held her in five days and it had been the longest five days of his life. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him but it seemed as if she had grown a lot in that short period of time. If he wasn't careful she would be grown up and on her way to her first day of kindergarten before he knew it.

"I suppose you've talked to Sonny," Elizabeth asked as she gathered up her sketches.

"No," Jason shook his head. "Why?"

"He was here earlier," She replied, "things didn't go well."

"What do you mean?" He asked wondering what was going on. As far as he knew, Sonny was still down on the island.

"You mean you didn't send him here to talk to me?"

"No, why would I?"

"I-I don't know." Perplexed, Elizabeth turned away from him to put her sketches away and because she needed a moment. Her insides were tied in knots and her heart was galloping in her chest like a runaway mustang. It was ridiculous the way his mere presence affected her. She was supposed to mad at him. She was supposed to be able to maintain some semblance of emotional restraint.

"What did he say to you?"

Lifting one shoulder, Elizabeth shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"I think it does or you wouldn't have brought it up." He readjusted Lena in his arms as he approached her. He laid a hand lightly on her shoulder and was quietly pleased when she didn't shrug it off. "What did he say to you?" He repeated.

His touch, even through her t-shirt set off fireworks in such a way that Elizabeth had to close her eyes and remind herself how to breathe. She could feel his eyes on her, burning into her back like twin laser beams. If she turned around, she knew he would be able to see right through her.

It was a good thing Lena chose that moment to wake up with a cry to demand attention and her bottle.


	39. Chapter 39

**Flashfiction #178: Plans Change Part 39**

**Prompt: Double Take **

The cottage was empty when she got home. Brenda was shopping with Emily and Lena was spending the afternoon with Jason, leaving Elizabeth free to meet with Ned, go by campus to speak with her advisor and now, maybe catch a little nap. Lena hadn't slept a whole night through since they moved out of the penthouse, not that Elizabeth could blame her. She wasn't sleeping that well herself. In any case, they were both two very tired and grouchy girls.

Intent on being as comfortable as possible, Elizabeth went upstairs to her room to change out of her linen skirt and light-weight sweater and into a pair of black yoga pants and a pink tank top. As tempting as her unmade bed was, she knew she had a few chores to do before she could even think about lying down.

Snatching up the clothes she had just taken off and the three outfits Lena had gone through yesterday, Elizabeth tossed them in the already overflowing clothes basket and headed downstairs with it. If she never did another load of laundry again she could die a happy woman. Since that wasn't about to happen anytime soon, she guessed she would just have to keep on living, although at this point, it was more like merely existing.

Ever since she and Lena had moved out of the penthouse two weeks ago all the color had left her world. Everything was black, white and gray. Lena was her only bright spot. Her art had even suffered. She couldn't sketch or paint. Her heart wasn't even in her work for L&B. It was frustrating, not to mention depressing.

Things with Jason were politely strained at best. At worst, they acted as if they were strangers. He visited Lena everyday and almost always called before he came over. Sometimes he even called at night just to check up on them – on Lena, she amended. They didn't speak of anything but their daughter.

Jason never attempted to convince her to come back, very telling if you asked her. She didn't blame him though. She was the one that walked out, not giving him a chance to explain because her mind had already been made up. The funny thing was, as angry as she had been, she wasn't angry when she left. She was more sad than anything else. Sad because she trusted Jason implicitly and he didn't trust her.

To her, trust and respect went hand in hand. She'd respected him long before she'd started to trust him. It wasn't clear when she'd fallen in love with him though.

Maybe it had happened the first time she laid eyes on him, dark and dangerously sexy at Jake's as they played pool. Or it could have been the day he'd walked into Kelly's after five months. His arrival had shocked her and she had been angry to see him after all that time but she'd also been happy. It didn't make any sense. Love never did.

She might not know when she'd fallen but she knew the exact moment that she realized she loved him. It was in the hospital, when the nurse's had taken Lena because she wasn't breathing. She had never been more scared or felt so alone in her whole life. Unconsciously she had asked for Jason. Had cried for him, maybe even screamed his name. It wasn't just because she knew he would make everything all right, it was because she needed him.

Whether she knew it or not, that was the moment she had changed irreparably.

Throwing a load into the washer, Elizabeth tried not to think about how foolish she felt. Perhaps she hadn't allowed herself to fall in love with Jason but it had still been a mistake. It was always a mistake to fall in love with someone who didn't love you in return.

Jason loved his daughter though and that was almost enough. As she had survived years of being alone, unloved and unwanted, she could handle Jason's rejection. It hurt, it hurt like hell, but there were worse things in life. As long as Lena had everything she never did, namely parents that loved her, she would be fine. She had her daughter, her art and some new friends to fill her up. There was also her job at L&B and she would be back in school in the Fall, both would keep her busy.

She really had nothing to complain about and to do so would be ungrateful. She had a lot going for her these days. It's just that if she had so much going for her, why did she feel so empty?

Shrugging off her melancholy mood, Elizabeth went back into the living room to pick up the art supplies she'd left out this morning and a few of Lena's toys. It didn't take long and a quick look at the clock told her that she had almost two hours before Jason would bring Lena back, plenty of time for a much needed nap.

She was at the landing when the doorbell rang.

With a defeated sigh, Elizabeth went back down the stairs with slumping shoulders. So much for that nap, she told herself tiredly as she opened the door. When she saw who her visitor was, she took several steps back with a shocked expression on her face.

"Hello Elizabeth," Rey Juarez greeted with a warm smile.

"Uncle Rey!" She exclaimed with a gasp. Immediately and without thinking about it, she looked around for her guard of the day, Tom, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Francis left two days ago on a job for Sonny and she'd had a new guard everyday since. She didn't mind it, although she would be glad when Fran got back.

"Your _friend_ stepped away for a moment."

Elizabeth met her uncle's gaze and felt a chill go up her spine. The urge to run and hide was almost too strong to ignore. She stamped it down though, calling the reaction ridiculous. Rey was one of her parent's best friends. He had been a regular presence in her life since she was five years old. He would never hurt her. She was just letting the conversation she'd overheard between Sonny and Jason get to her.

They were wrong.

She'd known all along they were wrong, not just wrong, dead wrong. She was just being silly. She knew Rey Juarez almost as well as she knew herself.

"Oh, okay," She said and tried for a smile. "Do you want to come in?" Opening the door wider so he could pass, Elizabeth tried to shake the icy fingers of dread dancing up and down her spine.

"Nice place," Rey commented as he surveyed the room looking out of place in his tailor-made navy pinstripe suit. He practically screamed money – and lots of it. It was the first time Elizabeth had ever really paid attention to that. Sure, Rey had money but he had always just been Uncle Rey and how much money he did or didn't have never mattered. It didn't matter now either, she reminded herself. She was just being paranoid, getting shot at did that to a person she suspected.

"Thanks, it's actually a friend's. She's just letting me stay here for awhile," She replied closing the door but not before looking around for the missing Tom or another guard. It was odd that she couldn't see any of Sonny's men lurking around. She did however, see a black stretch limo parked in the driveway looking even more out of place than Rey did in the homey cottage.

"It's nice of Ms. Barrett to offer you and Angelina a room."

Whirling around, Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief. "Y-you know about Lena?"

"Yes," Rey answered slowly as he unbuttoned his jacket and leaned against the mantle. "Your mother and Jeff were very disappointed you didn't call and tell them yourself. It's not every day that you learn you are a grandparent."

"Did they send you?"

"No, I came on my own," He admitted watching her with avid interest. "I was worried."

"About me?"

"Yes, about you. Please, come sit down."

It didn't even strike her as odd that a guest would invite her to sit down in _her_ friend's living room, she just did as he asked as if mesmerized by the sound of his voice. He didn't join her though as he remained standing by the fireplace.

"As I was saying, I – we all have been worried about you, Elizabeth. Your mother and Jeff said they haven't heard from you in almost two years."

Snorting and rolling her eyes, Elizabeth had to bite her tongue to avoid saying something nasty. Like how surprising it was her parents even noticed her absence. Or why they'd even care about her when they hadn't when she lived there.

"I know things were difficult at home but that is no reason to turn your back on your family," Rey said, his voice slightly scolding. "Family _is_ all we've got. It is the most important thing in this world."

Shooting her uncle a disbelieving look, Elizabeth shook her head. If she had a family, it sure as hell didn't include her parents.

"It's not too late to fix things, Elizabeth."

If she was going to fix anything, it would be things between her and Jason. Lena deserved two full-time parents and not some back and forth arrangement. Lena deserved a family, a real family.

"We are all willing to forgive you for what you've done?"

That got her attention. "What I've done?"

"Yes," Rey nodded with a disapproving frown. "Everyone is ready to forgive you for the humiliation you've brought to the family."

"Humiliation!" She knew she was parroting him but she could not seem to wrap her mind around the things he was saying.

"It does not reflect well that you have a child with Jason Morgan. He is not an acceptable choice, Elizabeth. Surely you must realize that. You did move out of his home, did you not? You are clearly coming to your senses. Come home with me now and all will be forgiven. Your family will not hold your indiscretions against you. You can raise your daughter as a Webber, as a fine upstanding citizen and not the daughter of a criminal."

Not an acceptable choice?

Her indiscretions?

They'll _forgive_ her?

A criminal?

"Get out," She told him quietly as anger boiled over inside her, flowing through her veins like red-hot lava. All of a sudden she knew the meaning of the expression 'seeing red.'

"Excuse me?"

"I said, get out," Elizabeth practically snarled. "Get the hell out of this house and don't come back."

"Elizabeth," Rey reprimanded.

"Can't you hear?" She yelled. "I want you to get out of hear because if you don't I'm not sure I can be held responsible for what I'll do."

Rey chuckled at her threat.

"And if you ever talk about my daughter like that again, I will have her _criminal_ father on you so fast you will never see him coming. Trust me, you don't want to get on the wrong side of Jason Morgan."

With a bland expression, Rey crossed the room to stand before her. "You need to think about this more carefully, Elizabeth. You don't know the position you have put yourself in or the danger that might come to you or your daughter if you stay."

Lip curling in disgust and wanting desperately to slug him, Elizabeth stomped away from him and over to the door. She jerked it open and then stood there waiting. "Get out before I call the cops."

Rey left because he knew how stubborn Elizabeth could be when she decided to dig her heels in, her mother was the exact same way. He would have to wait for her to cool off before he tried to reason with her again – and if reason didn't work, he would just try a different track.

After he was gone, Elizabeth slammed the door and then locked it. Visibly shaking with fury and on the verge of tears for some reason, she went toward the kitchen for a glass of water in hopes it would cool her down.

On the stairs, Brenda peeked around the corner, biting her lip so hard she'd drawn blood. It had taken every shred of willpower she possessed not to run down there and claw 'Uncle Rey's' eyes out when he had not only put down Elizabeth but also Lena and Jason. She didn't know who this guy was but she was willing to bet good money that he was one bad dude. What kind of man verbally attacked a newborn and her mother?

Elizabeth looked scared. Angry but scared too.

"This is so not good," She whispered to herself. "Not good at all."


	40. Chapter 40

**Flashfiction #179: Plans Change Part 40**

**Prompt: Send in the clowns **

In the middle of a moral quandary and with no one to turn to, Brenda thought she might go insane. Poor choice of words, she thought with a giggle as she flung herself down on the couch.

Eavesdropping was wrong, very, very wrong. But she didn't mean to hear Elizabeth talking to her uncle. It wasn't her fault that she just so happened to be home and decided to get a glass of iced tea at the exact wrong moment. It didn't help that she was cursed with a curious nature and _had_ to find out who Elizabeth was talking to and what he wanted.

Who knew Elizabeth had more than one mob man in her life?

While she didn't know for sure that Uncle Rey was a mobster but she did have a sixth sense about these things. If there was anything Brenda Barrett knew it was mobsters. However, what she didn't know would fill several books. For instance, she didn't know how Elizabeth turned out so well when her family was a bunch of clowns.

It was no wonder Elizabeth had issues.

The real problem Brenda was having though was the fact that Elizabeth didn't seem inclined to do anything about it. Old Uncle Rey had practically threatened her, _after_ he had insulted her, and Elizabeth may have been mad at first but then nothing. Elizabeth acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened when asked why she was slamming cabinet doors and mumbling to herself. Brenda was quite pleased with herself for not blurting out that she knew everything. Unfortunately, it was eating her alive now.

Elizabeth, displaying an amazing amount of uncharacteristic passive aggressive behavior, packed up Lena and went to the park as if it was just any normal afternoon. As if she hadn't just had a visit from the family she'd been running from for the past two years. It seemed that anytime things got a little to sticky for Elizabeth, she ran. She ran from her parents as soon as she was old enough and now she was running from Jason. Just thinking about it gave Brenda a headache.

What she needed was advice but the only person she could think of was Lila and this didn't seem like a Lila kind of problem. She really should just confront Elizabeth but knowing her friend as she did, Brenda knew that wouldn't do any good. If Elizabeth was determined to ignore something, she would and if you pushed, Elizabeth pushed back – hard.

"She's impossible," Brenda groaned. "It's no wonder Jason loves her, they're two of a kind."

"Ohmigosh," Brenda gasped sitting up suddenly. That was it. "Jason."

She would go tell Jason. He would want to know and if Elizabeth wasn't going to tell him then someone had to. Elizabeth and Lena could be in some sort of danger. If she didn't tell him and something happened to either one of them, Brenda would never be able to forgive herself. So, it was sort of her duty as friend to both Elizabeth and Jason to make sure that didn't happen. And if it just happened to push them back together – she wasn't going to complain.

**Harborview Towers: **

"I don't care," Sonny barked into the phone. "Do whatever you have to do, Justice, just push the divorce through."

Rubbing his forehead, Sonny listened to his lawyer drone on in lawyer speak. "Just give Carly whatever she wants," He commanded before slamming down the phone. What was wrong with people these days? Didn't anyone know how to take orders anymore?

Since Carly's little stunt with Michael, he had been even more determined to end his marriage. He was not going to allow her to use the boy against him. She'd gotten away with that tactic long enough.

Throwing down the pen he held, Sonny stood from his desk chair and headed toward the kitchen but a knock at the door stopped him. This was exactly what he was talking about; no one knew how to follow a simple order. He'd told Marco in no uncertain terms he was not to be disturbed. He hoped Marco liked mosquitoes because he was going to find himself down in Miami standing guard over several tons of coffee for the next three months.

Jerking open the door, Sonny glared at the guard but his attention was drawn to the woman pounding on Jason's door, screaming her head off. Marco just shrugged at Sonny's questioning look.

Stepping out of his penthouse, Sonny crossed the hall. "What's going on, Brenda?" He asked as she continued to rap on Jason's door.

"Looking for Jason."

"He's not home."

"Well, where in the hell is he?" Brenda demanded as she rounded on him with wild eyes.

"I don't know if I want to tell you," Sonny laughed. He knew how Brenda could get and how she could annoy Jason with very little effort. There was no way he was going to point her in his direction, not when Jason had the disposition of a grizzly bear lately.

"I need to talk to him, Sonny, it's important."

There was something in her face that told him that she wasn't kidding, she really did need to talk to Jason. "Come on," He said gesturing across the hall to his penthouse.

Knowing she didn't have much of a choice, Brenda went with him. Their argument the week before was still fresh in her mind and she wasn't altogether sure she wanted to face him at the moment. No one got to her like Sonny did.

Once they settled on the couch of his penthouse, Sonny asked, "So, what's so important?"

"You don't look like Jason to me," She replied drolly. "So get on the phone or fire up the Bat Signal and get him over here."

Amused but far from caving, Sonny said, "I am not going to drag Jason over here because you broke a fingernail or whatever you consider an emergency."

"Do I look like Carly to you?"

Running his eyes over her and liking what he saw, Sonny said, "No. No, you don't."

Rolling her eyes at his obvious attempt at being charming, Brenda decided to ignore him instead of letting him get to her. "Are you going to tell me where Jason is or not? I'm not making this up, Sonny, I _have_ to talk to him. It really is important. He'll want to hear what I have to say."

Getting concerned, Sonny asked, "Is something wrong? Is Alcazar bothering you again?"

"No, this isn't about Lorenzo. It's about Elizabeth."

"What about Elizabeth?" Sonny asked sitting up a little straighter.

Now that she'd thought about it a little more, Brenda wasn't so sure she should tell anyone what she knew. It really wasn't her place no matter how well-intentioned her motives were. She was getting the feeling that this could and probably would blow up on her face. It was that horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that kept her from getting up and leaving though. Even if it did blow up in her face at least Elizabeth and Lena would be safe. Sonny and Jason wouldn't let anything happen to them. She had to believe that if nothing else.

"Just tell me," Sonny urged when she seemed intent on keeping whatever had her riled up to herself.

Slouching, Brenda clasped her hands together and put them between her knees as she hung her head. "I didn't mean to overhear. I don't think Elizabeth even knew I was home but I was tired after shopping with Emily and went home to take a nap. I really shouldn't have eavesdropped. It's just that Elizabeth can be so mysterious when it comes to her family and I was curious when I heard her call him her uncle."

"Wait a minute," Sonny said holding up a hand to stop her endless stream of words. "Slow down. What is this about Elizabeth's uncle and why would a visit from Elizabeth's family upset you?"

"Okay," Brenda said taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. "I was on my way downstairs when I heard Elizabeth talking to someone. I thought it might be Jason and I was curious because ..., well, just because I was. So, I sort of hid in the corner and – and listened. I am a big fat eavesdropper, okay? It's not a crime!"

"Maybe not, but it should be," Sonny replied with a shake of his head.

"Anyhow," She sighed, "It took me about two seconds to realize that it wasn't Jason and Elizabeth wasn't exactly thrilled to see this guy. When she called him 'Uncle Rey' I knew why. She has some issues with her family."

"Who doesn't?"

"I know," Brenda responded gesturing wildly. "I was just about to show myself or go back to my room when I heard him tell her that she needed to go home, that her parents were willing to forgive her for getting involved with Jason and having his baby. He was bad-mouthing Jason and telling Elizabeth that he was dangerous, which I suppose he is but that's so not the point here. What really got me was how he talked about Lena. It was like she was a possession. He doesn't think Jason should have anything to do with her. It was awful. I don't know why Elizabeth didn't slap him."

"I'm surprised she didn't," Sonny added.

"She kicked him out though. She was really angry but when I went to talk to her, she acted like nothing was wrong."

"Where is she now?"

"She took Lena to the park. Can you believe that?"

"I'd believe anything when it comes to Elizabeth." Sonny rubbed the back of his neck as he mulled over what Brenda had just told him and kept coming back to one thing. "You said that Elizabeth called him 'Uncle Rey' did you catch a last name?"

"No," She said shaking her head. "I don't think so. I don't know."

"Try to remember," He urged.

"I'm trying," She responded with exasperation.

"Brenda this is important, was his name Rey Juarez?"

She rolled the name over and over in her head but it didn't sound familiar at all. "No, I don't think it was but I'm not even sure his last name was mentioned. He was just Uncle Rey. Why?"

"Don't worry about it," Sonny said with a slight smile he meant to be reassuring. "I'll talk to Jason and tell him what you've told me."


	41. Chapter 41

**Flashfiction #180: Plans Change Part 41**

**Prompt: Staring down the barrel of a .45 **

"We've got a problem."

Sonny's ominous greeting had Jason looking up from the coffee contracts he was going over with a furrowed brow. The last thing he wanted to hear was that they were having more trouble. Wasn't it bad enough that they still couldn't get a line on Rey Juarez? It was as if the guy didn't exist.

"What happened?" Jason asked as Sonny closed the door to insure their privacy.

Sonny shook his head as he looked down at his shoes. He really didn't want to have this conversation but there wasn't any way around it. "Brenda was looking for you."

"What did she want?" Jason didn't know why Sonny was bothering him with Brenda's latest crisis; he could handle that himself. As far as he was concerned, he had done more than enough to help Sonny out with his former fiancé and current pain in the ass. He had his own women problems to figure out.

Sonny started to sit down but changed his mind as he walked over to the window and watched as their newest shipment of coffee was unloaded with a forklift. "Elizabeth had a visit from her uncle."

Jason's head shot up. He looked over at his best friend with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Elizabeth had made it more than clear that she did not want anything to do with her family. She hadn't even called to tell her parents about Lena. Actually, Elizabeth seemed to want to pretend she didn't have any family at all. "And?" He prompted when Sonny seemed content to stare out the window.

This was harder than he thought it would be. He wasn't even sure he was right but his gut was telling him that he was. Jason's reaction was what worried him most. What would Jason do when he found out that the woman he loved was related to the man trying to … actually, they still didn't know what Juarez wanted, that was part of the problem. The most worrisome detail, as far as Sonny was concerned, was how Elizabeth fit into all of it.

"From what I gathered from Brenda it was not a happy visit," Sonny told him as he turned away from the window, the sun at his back now. "They argued about Lena."

"What about Lena?" Jason growled banking the urge to get up and prowl the room.

Sonny cleared his throat. "Her uncle wants her to take Lena and go back home to her parents. According to Brenda he said some pretty unflattering things to say about you."

Jason shrugged, what else was new? It wasn't as if he didn't know that Elizabeth was too damn good for him and could do a hell of a lot better. She obviously knew it too. Why else would she move out leaving him with a broken heart? The thought of her taking Lena and moving back to Colorado hit him hard though – a sucker punch straight to the gut. He was seeing stars and not in a good way.

It was only a matter of time, he thought with a heavy sigh. If he couldn't give Elizabeth what she needed then she would eventually find someone who could. He'd fallen in love with her easily enough, it wouldn't take her long to find some nice, normal guy to settle down and live happily ever after with.

No. God, no, he thought as his heart lurched painfully in his chest. Elizabeth wasn't supposed to live some white picket fence life with some shmuck, even if she did deserve that sort of idyllic existence. All he could offer her was a bulletproof penthouse, bodyguards and lots of heartache. He could offer her love. He would gladly give her his heart on a silver platter but he already knew that love wasn't enough. It hadn't been enough for Sonny and Carly and it wouldn't be enough for him and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth didn't need someone like him in her life. Danger and violence followed him wherever he went. Wasn't it bad enough that someone had taken potshots at them on the docks when she'd been pregnant? She'd almost lost Lena for Christ sake. He risked his life on a daily basis, never knowing if he would make it home at the end of the day or wind up in the morgue. Whether he intended to or not, he would only hurt her. He already had.

That was why he'd let her go without a fight. It was for the best, he'd assured himself. No one knew what Juarez wanted and Jason didn't want anything or anyone to harm Elizabeth or their daughter. If that meant that he had to walk away from the best thing to ever come into his life then so be it. He loved her enough to let her go.

"Jason," Sonny said drawing his attention once again, "Elizabeth's uncle is Rey Juarez."

**Cottage: **

Humming to herself she painted her toenails, Elizabeth concentrated on putting that morning's incident out of her mind. If she tried hard enough, she could and would forget that she even had a family. It was a darn shame that she knew she had parents, if you wanted to call them that, and hadn't hatched or simply crawled out from under a rock.

"Stop it," She scolded herself, realizing that she was doing it again. How was she supposed to relax if she kept letting her family invade her thoughts?

"Just when you think you're out, they suck you back in," She said shaking her head as she screwed the lid back on the bottle of merlot colored nail polish called _Tantalize_ even though she had only painted three toes on her left foot.

Her problem at the moment wasn't her parents, they weren't they the ones that had shown up on her doorstep, it was Rey.

Any other time she would have been thrilled to see her uncle but things just weren't right. Something was off. Either she was letting Sonny and Jason's accusations color her opinions and thoughts or she had finally started seeing things when open eyes. "Maybe both," She told herself with a perplexed frown.

The man that had come to her today wasn't the one she remembered from her childhood. He wasn't the smiling, happy man that had brought her little presents for no reason at all. Today, Rey had been menacing. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of him. She'd wanted to run as soon as she had seen him.

It was all very disturbing.

Not just disturbing, she reminded herself with a dark scowl. The bastard had insulted Lena and her daughter's father. Sure, she and Jason had some issues but he was still Lena's father and nothing and no one would ever change that. It was one thing to attack her and her choices but when you started in on her baby girl, well, you better not expect to leave in one piece.

"I should have slapped him."

"Slapped who?"

Elizabeth jumped and whirled around, startled to find she wasn't alone any longer. "Jesus, Jason," She said placing hand to her galloping heart, "you scared me half to death."

"Sorry," He murmured as he eyed her searchingly. Not for the first time, he wondered who this woman was. She was still so much a mystery to him but never more than she was now. Now he wondered if he had ever known her at all. Physically he knew every inch of her but that was as far his knowledge went.

"It's okay," She laughed. "Just make a noise or something next time or you'll be scraping me off the ceiling. I don't now why I'm so jumpy. I guess I had too much chocolate or something. Can you imagine that, me having too much chocolate?"

She was rambling and she knew it wasn't just the scare he had given her; Jason still made her nervous. Nervous and very aware of the tension between them and that tension wasn't only because of the problems they were having. The air practically sizzled when they were in the same room. Lord knew her heart went into over-drive every time he got within ten feet of her.

"Maybe it has something to do with the visit from your uncle," Jason said as she shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. He didn't know if he wanted to grab her to kiss the hell out of her or shake her and demand she tell him what was going on. It was best if he didn't touch her all the way around. Neither of those scenarios would get him anything but trouble and more sorrow.

Elizabeth nervously wiped her hands on the thighs of her jeans as she stood. "H-how did you know my uncle was here?"

"Doesn't matter."

"The hell it doesn't," She replied planting her hands on her hips. "Are you having me watched?" Stupid question, she thought rolling her eyes. "Of course, you're having me watched. That's what the guards are for, right? Although, silly me, I thought they were there to protect me, not report my every move back to you."

Knowing she could go on forever if he let her, Jason said, "Brenda overheard your conversation. She told Sonny that your uncle was here and it wasn't a very friendly visit."

"Brenda was here?" Elizabeth asked. "She was supposed to be shopping with Emily."

"I don't know," Jason said in frustration. What the hell did it matter why Brenda was there? It was her house, she could do whatever the hell she wanted to in it, including eavesdrop. "Were you ever going to tell me that Rey Juarez was your uncle?"

Sucking in a startled breath she stared at him blankly for a few seconds before quickly averted her gaze as if she suddenly found her half painted toes extremely interesting. She didn't know why she was surprised, she'd always known not telling him would come back to bite her in the ass.

Jason didn't say thing, just bore holes into her with his eyes. Elizabeth drew her lower lip between her teeth as she glanced up at him. He was not happy. In fact, Jason looked majorly pissed off. Avoiding his gaze, she chose a spot just over his left shoulder to rest her eyes. "I-I tried to tell you."

"When?" He demanded gruffly.

Her lower lip trembled as she fought back tears. "The night you left the penthouse I heard your conversation with Sonny over the baby monitor by accident and when I heard Rey's name, I knew I had to tell you right away. I told you I had something important to tell you. You asked if it could wait and – and I said it could because you would be home the next morning. But you didn't come home." Her voice was slightly accusing now. "I thought it could wait a few hours. I didn't know it would be days."

"You should have told me." Didn't she know the danger she had been in? He'd gone out of his mind worrying about what could happen to her or Lena while he was gone and then couldn't find Rey. That was why he had wanted her to stay in the penthouse where she was safe.

"I know that!" Running her hands through her hair in agitation, Elizabeth chanced looking at him once more.

"Then why didn't you?" That was the real question, why didn't she tell him. He would have listened. All she had to do was tell him that it couldn't wait. Didn't she know that he would drop everything else for her? She just had to say the word and anything and anyone else could wait. To hell with Sonny and his job, nothing was as important to him as her and Lena.

It was the same question that she had asked herself a hundred times and she always came up with the same answer. Wrapping her arms around her middle, Elizabeth looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, "I was scared."


	42. Chapter 42

**Flashfiction #181: Plans Change Part 42**

**Prompt: Dead End **

"I was scared."

Her words hung in the air between them, dividing them as if they were a wall. Of all the things she could have said, Jason never could have anticipated that or that they would hurt so much. He swallowed around the painful lump in his throat. "Afraid of what? Me?"

Sniffling, Elizabeth studied her bare feet again. "No. Yes. I don't know."

"You're either scared of me or you aren't, which is it?" The answer had the potential to devastate him but he had to know. Any hope he had for them would die with one simple word. She may have left but he still had hope. They had not hit that unrelenting brick wall yet – maybe they were banging their heads on it but it wasn't the same thing. They hadn't found their dead end yet and he hoped they never would.

"I'm not scared of you," She answered still unable to meet his eyes. "It's just … things were going really good for us then and I didn't want to ruin that. I thought that you would be mad. Not only because I unintentionally eavesdropped on your conversation with Sonny but because I know Rey. I wanted to tell you but I was afraid because I didn't believe what you and Sonny were saying. I didn't believe that my uncle could do what you said he did. I didn't know how to tell you - how to make you understand that Rey wasn't capable of those things. So I told you it could wait and then everything went wrong anyhow."

"What about now? What do you think about Rey now?"

Meeting his eyes, she shrugged. "I don't know. I was so sure …. I thought I knew him, then he showed up here and everything was different. He didn't seem like my uncle anymore."

"Are you afraid of him?"

"I've known him most of my life, there is no reason for me to be afraid of him. The man bought me dolls for crying out loud. He came to see me when I played a sunflower in the school play when my own parents couldn't be bothered. Does he sound like – like someone I should be afraid of to you?"

"Uncle's do those things." He wanted to so badly to go to her and take her in his arms but he didn't. She wasn't the only one that was scared. If she was scared of him on some level he didn't want to go to her and have her flinch and pull away. It would kill him.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, "Rey isn't my real uncle. He was my father's roommate in college. I think he was friends with my mother too but he is my father's best friend. He didn't have to do any of the things he did."

"How long have you known him?" Jason was extremely curious now.

Why would her parents send a family friend to talk to her instead of coming themselves? He and the Quartermaine's didn't get along either but Edward almost never sent a third-party to convince him to come back to the family. If the Webber's cared enough to send Juarez they had to love their daughter a little. Maybe they only realized how much after she'd left. He just wondered if the Webber's had any idea what their _friend_ had been up to. He had almost killed Elizabeth that day on the docks. What if she had been in the warehouse when the bomb went off, not only would she be dead, but so would Lena. What kind of people did that to their own daughter and grandchild?

"I didn't meet Rey until I was five and from then on," She shrugged, "he was just there."

"What did you think he did for a living if you didn't know he was –"

"In the business," She concluded. "I thought he did something with computers. The company he owns designs different computer programs. I don't know much about it really. I didn't have any reason to doubt what I was told. He was just Uncle Rey and he was a good uncle. I looked forward to seeing."

"Not today though, huh?" Jason asked. His anger at being in the dark long abated. He was feeling sorry for her now. It could not be easy to realize that someone you thought you knew - someone you loved and considered part of your family was not at all what you believed.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, "It's like I said, everything seemed wrong. At first I thought I was just paranoid because of what I'd heard but he wasn't at all like I remembered. And when he started in on how everyone would forgive me for my indiscretions … can you believe that's how he talked about Lena? As if she was a mistake. She is the first good thing I have ever done in my life. He wanted me to go home with him, back to my parent's house. Just cut you out of her life because you're the devil incarnate. Forget that you're her father because what do my parents know about that?"

She was working herself up into a full-fledged tirade and Jason wasn't sure how to stop her. He thought that maybe she needed to let it out and far be it for him to interfere.

"I was scared of him but I was also angry. I can't remember ever being so angry. He just wouldn't shut up and no matter how many times I told him to get out, he wouldn't leave."

Taking an involuntary step towards her, Jason asked, "Did he threaten you?"

"No, not really but I felt threatened. I can't explain it." Nothing he said could be construed as a threat but yet, it could. She knew she wasn't making any sense but she'd never been in this kind of situation before. She was just an art student for Christ sake. Her hands shook as she ran them through her hair anxiously. "I thought about calling you but then I remembered that you didn't know, that I hadn't told you and so I didn't. I thought if I just ignored it, I mean he's gone and I told him I wasn't interested in anything he or my parents had to say so he shouldn't bother us anymore. Right?"

She looked so hopeful as she stared at him with wide, bottomless blue eyes, so young and innocent in so many ways. He hated to burst her bubble. It looked like she was hanging on by a very thin thread and he didn't want to be the one to cut it.

His hesitation to answer wasn't lost on her. Sinking back down on the couch when her legs didn't seem to want to support her any longer, Elizabeth sighed tiredly and covered her eyes with both hands. A headache was brewing and it was going to be a mother. "He's not going to go away is he?"

"No." Unable to stop himself, Jason went and sat beside her on the couch. He didn't touch her even though every cell of his being screamed in protest. The last thing she needed right now was for him to press things between them, not when her whole world has just been turned on its side.

"What if I told him that I'm never going back to my parents? Make it really clear that I'm not going to change my mind. He would have to listen then, wouldn't he?"

She was giving him that look again, that deer in the headlights begging him to save her look. It hurt him in ways he couldn't describe that he could not save her from this. He knew she was hurting and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. "Men like Juarez don't hear anything they don't want to."

With a tremulous smile, she said, "I think I already figured that out."

Jason nodded; he supposed that included him as well. He hadn't exactly listened to her when she said she didn't want to move in with him or when she told him to stay away from her.

"What do you want me to do, Jason? If you tell me what to do, I'll do it. I won't even argue with you. Just tell me."

When he didn't answer her, she buried her head in her hands with a groan. Haltingly, Jason reached over to lay a hand on her back, to offer comfort but at the last second he curled it into a first and started to pull away. Elizabeth chose that moment to look at him with tears clinging to her lashes.

"I am so sorry."

Shaking his head, Jason gave in and pulled her into his arms. "You didn't do anything wrong," He told her as he brushed his lips across her temple.

"Yes, I did. I did everything wrong," She responded on a sob as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I should have told you. I wanted to tell you but – but I couldn't."

"Shh," He soothed as he ran his hand down her back. "Don't cry."

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

"None of this is your fault."

Sniffling, she pulled out of his arms. "Yes, it is. If I had just told you –"

He couldn't really argue with that. The information certainly could have come in handy. Now that he knew the truth things were becoming clearer by the second. Rey wasn't after the territory. This was all about Elizabeth. "I understand why you didn't tell me but Elizabeth," He said trying to get her to look at him, which she did as she grabbed a box of Kleenex off the table behind them, "you never have to be afraid of me being angry. I might get mad from time to time. You seem to have that effect on me."

The corners of her mouth quirked up a little even as a single fat tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Jason brushed her hair out of her face with one hand and smiled. "If you've got something to tell me then just tell me. It'll be much easier in the long run – for both of us."

They had to learn to talk to each other. Talking wasn't his strong suit but he and Elizabeth had of find a way to communicate. The only time they ever seemed to express themselves was when they were arguing and that didn't do any good because they weren't exactly listening to one another when emotions were running high.

"When I left that night, it was to find Rey. We had a line or at least we thought we did but it didn't pan out. So, I was trying to track him down. I needed to know what he was after. That's part of my job but it was personal too because was pretty sure that he was the one that shot at us on the docks."

Elizabeth looked surprised when he started talking about business but she gave him her full attention. She wanted to know what happened. When he'd come back to the penthouse she wasn't in any frame of mind to hear him out. She was angry and she would be the first to admit that she did not think very clearly when she was mad. Call it a fatal flaw or just part of her charm, either way she wasn't going to change. She didn't know how.

"I couldn't find anything but I couldn't give up. Sonny had to go down to the island and everything fell on me. I should have called you but –"

"You have a one track mind." She had seen his single-minded intensity on more than one occasion. Actually, she had been the subject of that concentration more than once. It wasn't such a bad thing. Actually, it was an attractive quality. Jason didn't give up, no matter what the odds. He didn't run with things got tough or he got scared, that is _if_ he was ever scared, she wished she could say the same for herself.

"Yeah. I'm not used to answering to or checking in with anyone. When I'm working, I can't let myself think about anything or anyone else. If my mind drifts – me or someone else is going to die."

He wasn't telling her anything she hadn't known or thought about before but it was different to hear it from him. She didn't want to think about anything happening to him. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed him. It wasn't just about Lena needing her father. It was because she loved him and even if he didn't feel the same way she was just going to keep on loving him. Fighting it was futile.

"Sonny sent Francis out to do a job and I didn't want you going out by yourself or with Lena with Will. Will is a good kid but he just doesn't have the experience. I should have called and told you what was going on but I knew if I did then – then I would not be able to stop thinking about you."

Her heart leapt as his words. Not quite able to believe them, Elizabeth lifted her face to look up at Jason and found him watching her. His face was decisively blank but his eyes spoke volumes, the electric blue depths attempting to convey things he would never be able to say with words. Tears filled her eyes once more and threatened to spill over when Jason lifted a hand to touch her face.

He hated it when she cried and never wanted to be the one to make her cry even though he knew he would from time to time but even as she wept, Elizabeth was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It wasn't her physical beauty as her strength of character. He admired her passion and determination. He loved that he would never be able to get anything past her because she seemed to see everything and wasn't afraid to call him on it. Most of all, he loved that she made him happy – when she wasn't making him insane that is.

Running his knuckles down her unblemished cheek, once again reminded of how soft and silky her skin was, everywhere, and smoothing away the hot wet tracks her tears left in their wake. Startled midnight blue orbs burned into his lighter ones and it took a lot for him not to look away, afraid of what she might find there. No one had ever had the power to hurt him the way Elizabeth could and he didn't know if he would survive losing her for good.

Normally, this would be the moment he got up and left or at the very least, turned away but he was tired of hiding his feelings. It wasn't as if he was going to wake up one morning and realize that he wasn't in love with her. It would probably be easier if that happened but it wasn't going to and he honestly didn't want it to. Whatever she may decipher she had the right to know even if he couldn't tell her.

Cupping the side of her face, his gaze zeroed in on her mouth. Her sad, full lips begged for his own. The urge to kiss away the remaining tears tugged low at his gut and he leaned in with the intent of doing just that. A soft gasp made him pause, his eyes flying up to meet hers just in time to see them flutter shut as she lifted her face to meet him.

Blown away by her easy consent, Jason couldn't help but fall a little more in love with her right then and there. He brushed her lips with his and was not surprised when a jolt of electricity seemed to pass between them. "Elizabeth," He said softly with their mouths just a hairs breath apart, "I –"

"I'm home!"

Brenda's abrupt arrival had them springing apart as if they had been caught doing something wrong. Elizabeth retreated to one end of the couch, trying to hide in the corner as she pressed both hands to her burning lips, while Jason stood hastily and withdrew both physically and emotionally.

The intruder, Brenda, stood gaping at them both thrilled and shocked at what she just interrupted. She'd stayed away just as long as she could stand it because she knew they needed time to talk but she also halfway expected to come home to find them at each other's throats. Jason and Elizabeth did not do open communication well, another little trait Jason had picked up from Sonny, and Elizabeth tended to get very defensive. Grinning hugely, Brenda decided they must have found a new way to communicate and it wasn't with words.

Dragging a hand down his face in frustration, Jason spared Elizabeth a glance as he said, "I should go."

Not able to argue or even speak, Elizabeth just nodded.

Without another word, Jason brushed past Brenda and out of the cottage like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.


	43. Chapter 43

**Flashfiction #182: Plans Change Part 43**

**Prompt: The heart may freeze, or it can burn. The pain will ease if I can learn. There is no future, there is no past. I live this moment as my last. **

"You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray," Brenda warbled off key as she descended the stairs. She'd been singing that song for the past twenty minutes as she tried unsuccessfully to get Lena down for her nap. It seemed that even at only two months old, Lena had already decided that any time Auntie Brenda was around was playtime. As soon as Elizabeth took her though, she was out like a light.

With a spring in her step, Brenda unhooked her purse from the banister and opened the door. It was a lovely day. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and Jason and Elizabeth seemed to be back on the right track. She didn't know what she'd walked into yesterday but whatever it was, it was good. Elizabeth had turned bright pink and fled as soon as Brenda tried to question her and Jason had left all surly and maybe just a little shaken. She cursed her bad timing but figured it was only a matter of time before those two crazy kids got their act together.

In Brenda's opinion, that called for shopping.

"Johnny," She purred, "be an absolute doll and bring the car around. I'm in the mood for shoes."

However, Johnny wasn't standing sentinel beside the door or lounging on the porch swing. In fact, Johnny wasn't anywhere to be found. In his place was a tall, dark and foreboding looking man in a gray suit and ice blue shirt and tie. He didn't smile. He barely even glanced at her.

"Who are you? Where's Johnny?" She asked looking around again.

"I'm Enzo, your new guard."

"Excuse me?" Brenda was sure she must have misheard him. Johnny was her guard. He went everywhere with her. She liked Johnny. She was used to Johnny.

"Mr. Corinthos' orders, ma'am. Shall I bring the car around?"

"Ma,am," She sputtered. "Do I look like a _ma'am_ to you?"

"Sorry, Ms. Barrett," Enzo said with a nod of acceptance.

Johnny did not call her ma'am and he never called her Ms. Barrett either. She was just Brenda or even Bren but never ma'am. She didn't like this, did not like this at all. "Just what were Mr. Corinthos' orders, Enzo? I can call you Enzo right – it's not like you guys ever have last names?"

"Enzo is fine m - , er, Ms. Barrett," He stuttered. A bead of sweat was slowly making its way down the middle of his back. He'd been warned about Jason's ex-wife by the other guards but they had not done her justice at all. She was smaller than he'd expected and beautiful didn't even begin to cover it but no one had bothered to tell him that she had perfected the same glare used by his boss. "All I was told was that I would be taking over for Johnny and that I was to go everywhere you went with no exceptions."

"Sonny told you this?"

Swallowing, Enzo nodded. "This morning."

Pursing her lips, Brenda looked at her new shadow for a moment as if assessing him and then smiled sweetly. "Well, Enzo, why don't you go get that car now? I'm not really in the mood for shopping but I would like to go into town."

"Sure thing, Ms. Barrett."

Watching as Enzo hightailed it off the porch and over to the garage, Brenda's smile faded only to be replaced with a narrow-eyed scowl. There was no way in hell Sonny was going to get away with dictating her life again. She was through with overbearing men with egos large enough to block out the sun.

**Harborview Towers: **

Jason leaned back in the black leather desk car with a heavy sigh as he ran his hands over his haggard face. He hadn't slept a wink last night. Thoughts of Elizabeth and Lena had run through his head as he had lain in the dark, driving him half crazy until he couldn't take it anymore and just got up. He'd roamed the silent rooms of the penthouse remembering what it was like when it had been full of noise and life. Nothing, not even work or a game of pool could distract him.

He was lonely. For the first time in his life, he knew how it felt to be truly alone. It was a feeling, he discovered, he didn't care much for. In the past he had enjoyed his solitude. The quiet and stillness didn't bother him. That was before Elizabeth had entered his life like a whirlwind, upsetting everything in her path. It should have bothered him, hell, it should have annoyed the hell out of him but it didn't.

Elizabeth Webber was chaos.

And he was a fool because he loved it.

He loved her and everything about her.

He had almost told her that he loved her. If Brenda hadn't interrupted he surely would have. It wasn't clear to him whether that would have been good or bad but as he had come so close, he couldn't think about anything else.

Three little words shouldn't be so hard to say.

It was just that they meant so much.

When he said them, he meant them and there would be no taking them back.

He was sure Elizabeth cared for him and that was more than he could ever hope for from a woman like her. It would be useless to lie – he had her up on a pedestal. She wasn't perfect and that's what made her perfect. He liked her flaws and looked forward to discovering more. Even if she could never love him the he loved her, he thought he could live with that.

Sliding open the drawer to the deck, he pulled out the small black velvet box and flipped it open. The diamond ring fired in the lamp light. It was a simple pear cut diamond set in platinum. It wasn't flashy or humongous but it was elegant and classic. When he bought it, he imagined that it would look right at home on Elizabeth's hand. Now he just had to find a way to give it to her.

Which was harder, he wondered, telling her he loved her or asking her to marry him – to take a chance on him. It was a toss up, he decided grimly, but he wouldn't know for sure until he tried. He had been patient so far but now was the time for action.

**The Cottage: **

The mobile over Lena's crib played _Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_ just as the one at Jason's penthouse did and it was stuck in Elizabeth's head now as she slipped out of her daughter's room and down the stairs. Her intention was to look over some stuff Ned had sent over, have a little lunch and maybe catch a little catnap on the couch. Stopping short on the landing, Elizabeth's eyes rested on the comfy cream colored sofa with a soft, unknowing smile.

If she closed her eyes, she could still feel Jason's lips on hers and his breath on her neck as he whispered her name. A shiver worked its way up her spine causing her to shiver. What that man did to her should be illegal – not that would stop him.

She didn't know what he had been about to tell her but she was disappointed that Brenda had interrupted it, causing Jason to leave. They'd just had their first real conversation in weeks and were really connecting. She was positive they were on the verge of some sort of breakthrough. She felt it deep in her bones. Most troublesome however, was that Jason left without telling her what he wanted her to do about Rey. For now, she was content to do nothing.

With any luck, Rey would leave her and Lena alone. She'd made herself pretty clear when she threw him out. He would be a fool to bother her again. Francis was back and the guard who'd been fooled into helping a stranded driver, an obvious set up even to her, was long gone. She didn't ask what happened to him. She didn't want to know. Francis was standing outside, making sure she and Lena were safe and that was all that mattered to her.

Elizabeth made a ham and cheese sandwich, poured a glass of iced tea and took her meal into the living room where her work waited for her on the coffee table. There was a desk by the window but she preferred to work somewhere she could sprawl out. Her job at L&B was going pretty well. Ned didn't mind at all when she brought Lena in with her. Actually, he usually dropped whatever he was doing to play with the little girl – that is when he could pry her away from Brenda. The work was challenging and the hours were good since she only went in once or twice a week.

She was even looking forward to going back to school in the fall but she and Jason would have to talk about daycare for Lena soon. Leaving her daughter in someone else's care did not appeal to her but she didn't see any other option. It wasn't as if she could take Lena with her to class. The thought of Lena strapped to her back while she was standing at an easel painting made her laugh.

Careful not to get any mustard on her papers, Elizabeth ate as she flipped through them. The perspective was a little off on the mockup Ned had sent over of an album cover and she made a little note on a yellow post it before sticking it to the page. Casting that aside she picked up the piece of pink stationary that smelled like roses. Elizabeth had read the handwritten note from Lila several times and each time it made her smile. She wished she had such a wonderful grandmother. Jason was very lucky. Lila was simply checking in and reiterating her invitation for Elizabeth to visit any time she would like, Lila assured her, her door was always open.

Refolding the note and tucking it away, Elizabeth made a mental note to take Lena over to see her great-grandmother the next week. Maybe if she mentioned it to Jason, he would go with them. Truth be told, she was a little intimidated by the Quartermaine mansion.

Setting her empty plate on the coffee table, Elizabeth picked up her iced tea and had it halfway to her mouth when there was a knock on the door. Thinking it might be Jason making another one of his surprise visits; she set the glass back down and leapt to her feet. She adjusted her clothes and went to answer the door.

The anticipatory smile faded from her face when she saw it wasn't Jason. She took an involuntary step back as she came face to face with the very last man she wanted to see. "What do you want?" She demanded, becoming even more alarmed when she saw Francis slumped over in the porch swing. Rushing out to check on her friend, shoved past her unwanted visitor and bent over Francis.

"Fran?" She nudged his shoulder and his lolled to the side. Quickly she checked for a pulse and slumped against the porch railing when she found one. Her relief turned instantaneously to anger as she rounded on the architect of this set of circumstances. Glaring at the man she had always considered her family, her dear Uncle Rey, Elizabeth said, "What did you do to him?"

"He is simply taking a little nap. He will wake up in an hour or so only a little groggy and disoriented. Invite me in. We have much to discuss, Elizabeth."

**Harborview Towers: **

Brenda blew past Marco without a second look and she didn't bother to knock either. She threw open the door to Sonny's penthouse and marched in as if she owned the place. If Sonny thought he could barge into her life then she could do the same to him. If he didn't like it, so much the better.

"SONNY!"

He came out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a green dishtowel wearing his white undershirt and black suit pants. "What? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong you overbearing jackass. You can't listen to anyone. Have you forgotten our argument the other day? You think you can run my life just because you feel some misguided responsibility for me and it's going to stop right now."

Tossing the dishtowel over his shoulder, Sonny gave her a bland look before asking, "What are you going on about now?"

"I am talking about you replacing Johnny without telling me. I walked outside to find a stranger on my doorstep. Do you know how disturbing that is? I have never seen this Enzo guy before in my life. For a minute I was sure he was there to kill me. As far as I knew he'd already killed Johnny and I was next. What gives you the right to do that, huh?"

"Johnny is my employee."

"And you and Jason assigned him to me as a bodyguard."

"That was before I found out that Johnny couldn't do his job where you are concerned."

Brenda sputtered for a moment unable to form the right words to express her anger and disbelief. "Johnny has always kept me safe. Take a look," Brenda said holding her arms out at her side and slowly turning around, "not a scratch on me."

"I would not call letting you walk into Lorenzo Alcazar's hotel room keeping you safe," Sonny told her calmly. "Johnny isn't your bodyguard. He's your buddy and partner in crime. I need to know that you have someone watching over you that won't let you get away with whatever you want just because you bat your eyelashes at him."

"Johnny went with me because he knew if he didn't, I would just ditch him and go on my own."

Sonny dismissed her defense with a shrug. "It's done."

"No, it's not. Elizabeth is friends with Francis and Jason hasn't pulled him off her detail. Why can't Johnny and I be friends?"

"Elizabeth is Jason's business, not mine."

"I'm not your business either," Brenda shrieked on the verge of having a temper tantrum. Why couldn't he ever just listen to what she was saying? She thought she was being perfectly reasonable. Sonny was the one that stepped over the line. All she was trying to do was build a new life for herself and Sonny kept sticking his nose where it didn't belong. She accepted that she needed a guard especially with Elizabeth and Lena staying at the cottage but she didn't think Sonny had any business getting rid of the guard she was accustomed just because Johnny dared to be her friend.

"You are always my business."

"No! I quit being part of your life when you left me at the alter. I am not your problem anymore."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Sonny hung his head. "That's not true."

With a cry of frustration, Brenda said, "I'm wasting my time trying to argue with you. I should have gone to Jason. He at least listens some of the time." She started for the door but Sonny grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I'm just trying to look out for you," He told her softly, his obsidian eyes burning into hers.

"Well, stop it. Let me stand on my own two feet for once in my life." Silently, her eyes begged him to understand. It was best for both of them if he just left her alone.

"I'm not trying to run your life."

"It sure as hell feels like it," She murmurs.

Sonny lets go of her arm and reaches up to rake his hand through her hair. "You impress the hell out of me, you know? You've been through something I couldn't even imagine and you still haven't let it keep you down. You're rebuilding your life when a couple of months ago, you were preparing to lose it. You're a fighter. I admire that."

Unconsciously, she took a step closer to him. "Then let me fight on my own. Let me prove that I am strong enough."

"You are strong, Brenda, but it's okay to need people too."

"Like you need people?"

Sonny ran his hand through her hair once again, his hand going to cradle the back of her head, pulling her too him. "I need you," He confessed in a barely audile whisper before his mouth came down on hers.


	44. Chapter 44

**Flashfiction #183: Plans Change Part 44**

**Prompt: Beautiful suffering **

She was pretty sure her heart had stopped the moment he told her he needed her, only to have it rev back to life when he kissed her. Say what you wanted to about Sonny Corinthos but he was one hell of a kisser.

Even though she knew it was a mistake, Brenda kissed him back. His hold on the back of her neck was almost painful but not as much as the ache in her heart. It was so easy to imagine that there was a chance for him but she knew there wasn't. They'd used up all their chances a long time ago.

She'd tried to recapture what she had with Jax and it had blown up in her face. Attempting the same with Sonny would be insanity. However, as he wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her to him, Brenda welcomed the madness with open arms.

He had no gentleness left in him, not even for Brenda.

For years, he had mourned her and pined for her. When she had shown up very much alive, his heart soared and then broke into a million pieces all over again. Brenda was not the same woman who'd gone over that cliff. She wasn't even the same woman he had left at the alter just as he wasn't the same man.

Brenda had become the woman he had always known she could be and he had turned into the man everyone always said he would be. He had nothing left to offer her, even less than he'd had years ago. Things with Brenda had never been easy. She had a way of getting under his skin and making him crazy. She was his drug and after all these years he was still addicted. No one infuriated him quite like her either. What he said was true though, he did need her.

Sonny knew that Brenda was a luxury he could not afford no matter how much he wanted her. He was still married. There was Michael to think about as well. He knew all that and yet, he did not care. He was a selfish man. He did not deny that. He wanted what he wanted and usually got it.

And know one made him feel like she did – for better or worse.

Brenda let reality spin out as she reacted to the man who had always held her heart. It felt so good to be back in his arms. So right. She could almost forget that she was mad as hell at him and wanted his head on a pike. Almost.

Abruptly, she pulled out of his arms and took a few steps back. She ran her hands through her tousled hair as she tried to gain some perspective. "What are we doing?"

"I thought that was fairly obvious," Sonny responded breathlessly as he shot her a dimpled grin.

Angry with herself for falling back into old habits and almost letting him charm his way out of things – and into her pants, Brenda glared at him. "You are a married man," She accused, throwing the first thing she could think of between them.

Shaking his head, Sonny said, "All that's left is the paper work. Carly and I are over. We have been for a long time."

It hurt her to hear him say that. She knew it had to be hard for him because family meant so much to him. Her heart went out to him on that count but she could not let herself get sucked back in to his little vortex. The man was like a black hole. She would lose herself and everything she'd worked so hard for in the past few months because Sonny would become her whole world again.

The price was just too high for her.

Sonny had been her whole world before he had left her at the alter. After that, she had sort of lost her mind for awhile. Thank goodness Jax had been there to help her pick up the pieces and put herself back together again. Jax wouldn't be there this time though. No one would.

Resolutely, Brenda shook her head. "No."

"No, what?"

Meeting his soulful brown eyes purposefully, Brenda said, "No, I am not going to do this again."

"Do what?" He was purposely playing dumb and they both knew it.

"Forget it, Sonny. It won't work this time. I won't let it."

She turned to leave and Sonny was tempted to pick another fight just so she would have to stay and talk to him. He didn't get a chance because just as she opened the door, Brenda turned back around.

"And I still want Johnny as my guard," She insisted as she jabbed her finger in his direction.

The slamming of the door as she exited the penthouse, just as she'd entered his life, with a crash and bang, muffled his refusal.

**The Cottage: **

Elizabeth had let Rey into the house because she didn't see how she had any other choice. She wasn't happy about it and did not bother to hide it either. Not that Rey paid any attention; he made himself at home by sitting down on the couch and asking her to join him.

Figuring it was best to just get it over with, Elizabeth complied. Rey unbuttoned his suit coat, adjusted his tie and then cleared his throat before meeting her eyes. "I've waited a very long time to have this conversation with you, Elizabeth, your whole life in fact. I'd hoped it would be under better circumstances but no one could have foreseen the choices you've made."

Sneering at the man she had once adored, Elizabeth didn't say a word. She had nothing left to say to him. Her only concern was what he might do to her or Lena and what he had already done to Francis. Part of her wished that Jason would show up on one of his unexpected visits so he could handle this for her but the other half was afraid of what would happen if he did. The thought of Rey doing something to harm Jason put the need steel back in her spine. She was a big girl. There was nothing she couldn't handle on her own.

"I see you aren't going to make this easy on me," Rey said with a fleeting smile as if he was proud of her and looked away, down at his hands. "Very well, I am not unfamiliar in dealing with difficult situations." He glanced at her and asked, "You have learned who and what I really am now, correct?"

Nodding, Elizabeth did not give an inch. Last time she'd gotten angry and resorted to screaming and childish petulance. That would not happen this time. Even if it took everything she had, she would remain calm and tell Rey once and for all to get out of her life.

Rey inclined his head and returned his gaze to his hands, which he stared at for a few long minutes as if in deep concentration. "I've known Jeff and your mother for a very long time. We were all in college together. Jeff and I were roommates, did you know that?"

Again she nodded and bit her tongue to avoid demanding he get to the point.

"We were the best of friends, which was surprising given how very different we were. Jeff Webber was the All-American boy. I envied him his perfect little family at home in the suburbs and his boring little life. The only reason I was at college was to waste a little time before joining the family business. I didn't want any part of it but as my father's heir, I had little choice. My future had already been mapped out for me. Jeff wanted to be a doctor just like his father. He wanted to help people. He's a good man. The best man I ever knew. It was why I asked him to do the most selfless thing any man could ever do – I asked him to be a father to my child."

"W-what?" She hadn't meant to listen as he went on his little stroll down memory lane but couldn't help herself. Growing up she had lived for the funny stories Rey had told her about his time in college with her parents and it wasn't any different now. She was hungry for any small detail that might help her understand her parents but what he said didn't make any sense.

With a terse smile, Rey reached for her hand and clasped it loosely in hers. The look in his eyes mesmerized her, preventing her from recoiling. "Elizabeth, I'm your father."

It took a few precious minutes for that to sink in, minutes that Rey used to study her with blue eyes that were so much like hers and yet different, harder and more mysterious. Hastily, Elizabeth withdrew her hand from his and curled it into a fist with every intention of hitting him but chose, instead, to let it fall to her lap.

"I know it comes as a surprise. We should have told you years ago. I wanted to so many times but we – I thought it best to let you go on believing that Jeff and Caroline were your parents."

No longer able to hold her tongue, Elizabeth whispered, "Who is my mother?"

Rey jumped, as if startled she had spoken and then smiled. "Caroline is your mother. She was my first and only love. It really was love at first sight for me – for Jeff as well, I think. She walked into biology class freshman year and that was it. Jeff and I competed for her attentions for a time but when it was clear that she favored me, Jeff stepped aside. The three of us became the best of friends and all the while, Caroline and I fell more and more in love with every passing day.

Sighing, Rey paused for a moment as if drawn back into the past. "We were in the last semester of our senior year when Caroline discovered she was pregnant. She was distraught to say the least. She had just gotten into medical school and – and, well, I assume you know how an unexpected pregnancy can change everything."

Elizabeth had to look away before she told him that she was nothing like her mother, the situations were completely different. Yes, Lena had been unexpected but she wasn't a burden – not as Elizabeth had been to her mother. Lena was a gift. One that Elizabeth cherished.

"The timing … it was not good – not for either of us. Caroline and Jeff were headed to medical school but I was going home to take my place as my father's right hand and later his successor. I'd actually been preparing myself to break things off with Caroline. No matter how much it hurt me; there was no other choice for us. You see, my mother, your grandmother, died when I was just a boy. She couldn't take the life and took her own when she couldn't stand it anymore. I loved your mother but I could not subject her or our child to that kind of lifestyle."

Elizabeth looked at the man next to her, the man claiming to be her father, with her heart going out to him. Her mother may have been a cold, heartless bitch but at least she'd been there – physically if not emotionally.

"Caroline saw her life going up in smoke and I was pushed in a corner with no acceptable means of helping her. I told her we would figure something out. I promised her I would figure something out. S-she wanted to have an abortion."

Elizabeth wasn't surprised. She'd often wondered why her mother hadn't and it looked like she was finally going to get her answer.

"I refused to even let her consider it," Rey told her with a pained expression. "I-I wanted our child very much. I wanted _you_ very much, Elizabeth. If you believe nothing else, believe that."

"Then where were you? Why did you all let me believe I was someone else?"

With a guilty frown, Rey said, "There was no other choice. I could not knowingly bring the woman I loved and our child into my life. I could not bear the thought of something happening to either of you. Caroline gave me an ultimatum, she would either have a ring on her finger by graduation because she was not going to wind up a single mother or she would terminate the pregnancy."

"So, what, Jeff volunteered to step in?" If her voice was bitter, Elizabeth figured she deserved the right to be so. Her whole life was a lie.

"I – no," Rey fumbled. "As my friend, Jeff knew everything that was going on. He said he would help us in any way he could, something I'm afraid that came back to haunt him. One night after a horrible argument with Caroline and too much cheap beer, Jeff and I came up with a plan."

Elizabeth snorted in disbelief but let him continue.

"I would tell Caroline the truth. She already knew who my family was; I couldn't keep something like that from the woman I loved. She didn't understand it but people never do unless they have lived it themselves. I told her all of it again to make her understand. I told her in no uncertain terms that I could not be a husband or a father. She did not take it well. She threw things at me and when she ran out of things to throw, she started hitting me. It was no less than I deserved. She tried her best to convince me that I was wrong and that I could walk away from my family obligations. But when it was clear that I would not change my mind, she broke down.

"I was sorry to do it, but I explained to her that Jeff had always loved her and was willing to marry her. More than that, he was willing to take our child as his own. He would be a wonderful father just as he had been a wonderful friend to both of us. Jeff could give her everything I couldn't. Obviously, she went for it. They were married the next weekend."

"And here we are," Elizabeth murmured feeling like a deflated balloon. Not only had her mother not wanted her but her father – her biological father – had pawned her off on his friend like an unwanted sweater.

"The plan was for me to never see any of you again. As you know, it didn't work. I held out until you were five and then I couldn't take it anymore. I was curious about you and wanted to see what my child looked like. Jeff was not pleased. I couldn't blame him because things had not been easy for him and Caroline. You see, for five years Caroline had held out hope that I would change my mind, that I would come for her one day and whisk her away. I'm afraid I disappointed her once again when I told her that I was only there to see my daughter.

At first, she vowed to keep you from me but Jeff once again stepped in and convinced her to let me be a part of your life in some way. So, I became your uncle. It was difficult at first to hear you call Jeff 'daddy' and to let you call me 'uncle Rey' but I was so happy to be near you that it didn't matter. Don't you see, Elizabeth, I do love you. All I have ever done is watch out for you. I only wanted the very best for you."

Having had enough, Elizabeth stood up and looked her father in the face for the first time. "You call this love? You call this sick and twisted lie I've lived for the past twenty three years love? You come in here and tell me this story to what – get my sympathy? Did you think I would say, 'Oh, well, what's a little white lie between family' and everything would be just hunky-dory?"

"Elizabeth," Rey sighed as he too got to his feet.

"I think all of you are the most self-centered, insensitive people I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. You all make me sick," She spat, practically vibrating with anger. "I never want to see any of you again. Get the hell out of my house and don't come back."

"I can't do that," Rey told her coolly.

Very slowly as if she had to force herself to move, Elizabeth lifted her shaking hands and ran them through her hair. "I don't care what you can or can't do. You need to leave before I do something crazy like slit your throat with a letter opener. Brenda would not appreciate blood all over her house."

"I can't let you stay here and throw your life away on some thug. I did not live this lie all these years for you to wind up in the very thing I tried to protect you from. I won't allow it!"

Staring at him in disbelief, Elizabeth started laughing hysterically. "You won't allow it? You won't allow it?" She shook her head and got herself back under control. "No one asked me what I wanted. No one has ever asked me what I wanted. But that's okay because I am going to tell you what I want. What _I_ am going to allow. I am going to _allow_ you to walk out of this house and never come back. I am going to _allow_ the people that call themselves my parents to keep on doing what they are doing because they couldn't give a damn what I do with my life and frankly, that's the way I like it. I haven't heard any complaints from them either. If they had suddenly changed their minds, they would be here right now instead of you. As far as I am concerned I don't have parents. The only family I have is the one I've found here. I have no interest in you or anything you have to say any longer. You, Caroline and Jeff don't exist to me anymore. So, do us all a favor and get out?"


	45. Chapter 45

**Flashfiction #184: Plans Change Part 45**

**Prompt : "Such a filthy, filthy habit you have there" **

The first instinct she had was to run, to run as fast and a far as she could and never look back. She knew she couldn't d that this time. There were things – people she couldn't leave behind not matter how scared she was and right now, she was pretty damn scared. If she couldn't run then there was only one choice left.

"Stand and fight," Elizabeth told herself. Lifting her chin in defiance, she snatched up the cordless phone and carried it out with her onto the porch.

Kneeling beside Francis, Elizabeth checked to see if he had a pulse, relieved to find he did and tried to rouse him. Whatever Rey had given him, Francis was out like a light. Patting him on the shoulder in reassurance, although it was unclear whom she was trying to comfort, she picked up the phone to call for help. Just then though, Enzo drove up with Brenda. They must have known something was wrong because they both got out of the car and came running. Enzo didn't even bother to close his door in his haste.

"What happened?" Brenda asked and gasped when she saw Francis slumped over and unmoving in the swing. "Is he –"

"He's just unconscious," Elizabeth replied. "I can't wake him up though."

Enzo checked Francis' pulse even as he pulled out his phone and made a couple of short calls. "What happened?" He asked when he was through.

Swallowing past the softball sized lump that had taken up residence in her throat. "It was Rey Juarez."

"What did _he_ want?" Brenda demanded as she planted her hands on her hips and looked around for him. If Juarez was still lurking around she would have Enzo sit on him while she clawed out his eyes.

Elizabeth shook her head. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "Is Francis going to be alright?" She asked Enzo, her voice soft in concern for her friend.

"I think so," He replied with a terse nod that was oddly comforting. "I called Johnny. He's on his way out to help me get Francis over to the doc."

Nodding, Elizabeth turned back to Brenda. "I need to talk to Jason." There was no way she was going to repeat her mistakes and keep this new information to herself. It explained so much. She had to get to Jason and tell him everything. He had to be warned because she was sure that Rey would go after Jason since she hadn't been at all receptive.

Brushing past Brenda, Elizabeth went back inside. She was halfway up the stairs when Brenda came in.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting Lena. I have to go see Jason."

"Can't you just call him?" Brenda asked as she started up the stairs after her. She didn't know if it was a good idea for Elizabeth to run off when her guard was taking an involuntary nap on the front porch.

"This isn't the kind of conversation you can have over the phone," Elizabeth replied as she pushed open the door to Lena's room. "I have to see him in person."

"At least wait for Johnny to get here. That way he or Enzo can drive you."

"No, I can't wait. This can't wait," Elizabeth said as she laid a hand on Lena's back. She hated to wake her up but there wasn't any other choice. "Wake up, baby. We have to go see daddy."

Lena snuffled in her sleep and stuck her fist in her mouth. When Elizabeth lifted her out of the crib her eyes flickered open and she started to cry in protest. Elizabeth tried to soothe her even as he started throwing things in the diaper bag.

"Let me do that," Brenda said coming forward to finish packing the bag.

"Thanks. There are some bottles in the fridge. Could you grab two or three? I don't know how long we'll be at Jason's."

"Sure," Brenda replied tossing Lena's favorite stuffed bear into the bag before running out of the room. Elizabeth was in a hurry so she was through asking questions.

Elizabeth wrapped Lena in a fuzzy pink blanket while she talked to her. Lena stopped crying but Elizabeth figured it was only the calm before the storm. "Daddy will be so happy to see you." She just hoped he wouldn't implode when he learned the reason for their surprise visit.

She carried Lena downstairs to find Brenda standing at the door arguing with Johnny.

"I don't care what Sonny said," Brenda shouted, "you are my guard. No offense Enzo, but I've already got Johnny trained. He doesn't even complain when I go shopping anymore."

"That's only because you can't hear me under all the bags and boxes I'm carrying. You need a pack mule, not a bodyguard," Johnny retorted.

"Oh, hush," She said waving a dismissive hand in his direction.

"Brenda, I really don't have time for this right now. We have to get Fran to the doctor. Take it up with Sonny," Johnny told her as he helped Enzo carry the unconscious guard to the car.

"Wait," Brenda said shoving the diaper bag at Elizabeth and flying after them. "One of you has to drive Elizabeth to see Jason."

"I can call Max and have him come out," Johnny told her as they maneuvered Francis into the back of the suburban he'd driven you. It was not an easy task given the man's size.

'I'll drive myself," Elizabeth said as she carried Lena over to the car Enzo had abandoned. Both cars Brenda and Elizabeth kept out at the cottage had car seats so that wasn't a problem.

"Uh, I don't think Jason would like that," Johnny told her.

"I'll go with her," Brenda offered.

"Yeah, because that is _so_ much better."

"Oh, shut up," Brenda snapped.

"Forget it," Johnny responded. "You're coming with us anyhow. We can't leave you out here by yourself."

While Johnny and Brenda fought it out, Elizabeth secured Lena in her car seat, got behind the wheel, pleased to discover the keys still in the ignition and buckled her seatbelt. She locked the doors, started up the car and gave Brenda and the guards a little wave as she drove off.

**Port Charles Hotel: **

Staying in this dismal little town was not his first choice but he wanted to be close to his daughter. It also appealed to his sense of pride to remain right under Morgan's nose. It had amused him greatly to watch Morgan chase his tail scouring the whole state of New York and Denver looking for him. Little did Morgan know, he was right there in Port Charles, his yacht docked in the harbor.

Rey splashed some bourbon into a tumbler and took it over to sit in a chair by the window. He wasn't worried about snipers. Morgan didn't have a clue. Across from him, sitting in the shadows of the corner was a man in his employ, named Bob Hobart. That wasn't his real name. Rey doubted he even remembered his real name. Bob didn't exist. He was a ghost. He was just the type of man Rey needed.

"It's time my daughter learned a lesson," Rey told him. "This time – don't miss."

**Harborview Towers: **

"What do you mean she just drove off?" Jason demanded. "I don't want excuses Johnny, I want to know what happened."

"_She said she was coming to see you," Johnny replied, his voice tight._

Jason could hear Brenda harping in the background and knew she probably wasn't helping matters any. From the shouting he'd heard coming from across the hall earlier, Brenda was mad about something.

"Hang on," He said when a knock sounded at the door. When he saw it was Elizabeth he sighed in relief. "She's hear," He said into the phone and then ended the call without another word.

"Was that Johnny?" Elizabeth asked carrying Lena into the penthouse.

"Yes."

"Don't be mad at him. It's not his fault."

"Okay."

Surprised he was being so agreeable, Elizabeth turned around with a smile. "Well, that was easy."

Jason closed the door with one hand, as he looked her over. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine," She answered readjusting Lena in her arms. "Although your daughter is pouting because I disturbed her nap."

"Is she," He asked going over to take a peek at Lena who cooed at him.

"She's been giving me that same look you do when you think I'm being especially impossible."

A corner of Jason's mouth hooked up at Elizabeth's answering smirk.

"Here take her," Elizabeth said passing their daughter off. "She's a daddy's girl anyhow."

Jason smiled again as he lifted Lena up to rest on her shoulder. He liked the sound of that. Lena was sucking on her fist and except for a moment when her eyes met his, she paid him very little attention. She was more interested in her surroundings than someone she already knew. Glancing up, he saw Elizabeth watching him with her lip drawn between her teeth and a worried expression furrowing her brow.

"Tell me what's going on," He said sitting down on the couch.

Staring at him for what seemed like an eternity; Elizabeth held her arms out to her sides and said, "I don't know where to start."

"The beginning is usually good."

Elizabeth dropped her arms in defeat and hung her head. "My whole life is one big lie," She murmured. "For twenty-three years I thought I was one thing and as it turns out, none of it is true. Wait, one thing was true. My mother never wanted me. My father did but not enough to stick around and actually be my father."

"You've lost me."

She laughed humorlessly as she flopped down on the couch beside him. Jason thought she might be hysterical because she couldn't seem to stop laughing once she started. It was only when her voice broke that he realized she was crying.

"Hey," He said reaching out for her with his free hand. Cupping the back of her neck, he drew her to him so her head rested on his shoulder.

"I was right all along," She sobbed. "They didn't want me. I was nothing but a bargaining chip and a poor one at that. I – I bet my mom wishes she'd had an abortion."

"Don't say that," Jason said as he rubbed her back.

"Why not, it's the truth."

"Elizabeth, what did Rey say to you?" Not that it mattered; he was a dead man anyhow.

Pulling away from him, she wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. "He told me the truth. Finally someone told me the truth."

"Truth about what? Come on, you have to tell me so I know how to help you," Jason urged.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her middle. She felt like she was literally falling apart. Any minute now she was going to shatter into a million pieces. "You can't help me with this Jason. I wish you could but no one can help me."

"Why do you say that?" He asked readjusting Lena in her arms when she started kick her little feet to free herself from the confines of the blanket.

Elizabeth looked over at Jason with so much pain in her eyes that it hurt him to look at her. It was like a knife to the heart. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and promise that he would never let anyone or anything hurt her again. It was impossible but that didn't stop him from wanting it.

"Tell me," He prompted.

Elizabeth opened her mouth as if she was about to do just that but then snapped it closed again. She shook her head as tears filled her eyes once more.

Jason got up to put Lena in the bassinette that was still behind the couch where Elizabeth had left it. He'd moved nothing in all the weeks they'd been gone. Everything in their rooms was just as they'd left it, waiting for them to come home. He got Lena settled, which didn't take long considering she was still at the stage where she wanted to sleep all the time. Then rejoined Elizabeth on the couch.

She'd had a few minutes to compose himself and he hoped she was ready to talk now. She was really starting to scare him and unless he purposely picked a fight, he didn't know if she would ever tell him what was going on. It seemed as if she wanted to, she'd come to him for a reason, but she just didn't know how to do it.

"Elizabeth," He said softly as he reached for her but she shied away.

She felt dirty and didn't want him to touch her. The fear that he would recoil when he found out whom she came from was very real. Jason might never feel the same way about her after she told him. She didn't have a choice though. She had to tell him. Taking a deep, shuddering breath to prepare herself, she looked Jason in the eye so there could be no mistake.

"Rey Juarez is my father."


	46. Chapter 46

**Flashfiction #185 Plans Change Part 46**

**Prompt: Battlestar Galactica **

"Rey Juarez is my father."

Jason Morgan was not an easy man to rattle but Elizabeth always seemed to find a way to catch him off guard. Wiping his mouth with the palm of his hand, he regarded her with a furrowed brow in a mix of confusion and concern. There was a file in his desk that said that Jeff Webber was her father. His name was on her birth certificate and even though Elizabeth didn't have much use for either of her parents … your father was your father. Although, according to Rey not so much. Lie or truth Jason wondered.

"I-I didn't know until today," Elizabeth beseeched. When Jason hadn't said anything she was sure that he must believe that she had been pulling some sort of scam on him. She couldn't blame him; she would have thought the exact same thing.

"Do you think he is telling the truth?" Jason asked. There was no doubt in his mind that the man was capable of using Elizabeth as a pawn and lying to her to do it. No one would know her weaknesses better than her so-called Uncle Rey.

"I swear that I didn't have any idea, Jason."

"I know." He knew that Elizabeth wasn't malicious or devious enough to work with someone like Rey – father or not. His instincts about people were excellent, they had to be in his line of work, and his gut told him that Elizabeth was no Mata Hari. There was no way she could pull off an act like that for months at a time. Women like that would never get pregnant much less have the kid.

Silently, Elizabeth began to cry again. It was just so overwhelming she didn't know how to feel. How was one supposed to feel when they found out that everything they believed was complete fiction? Definitely angry and that was okay because she would rather feel that all-consuming burning in her belly than powerless, afraid and unbearably sad. She didn't know why it hurt so much to know that her mother had never wanted her. She had known that for longer than she cared to remember. The fear was the most devastating. If a man like Rey Juarez was her father then what did that make her? What horrible traits had he passed down to her? More importantly, what was she supposed to do now? There was Lena to think about and Jason as well. She couldn't just stand idly by while her new found father tried to destroy her life.

"Elizabeth," Jason said raising his voice slightly to get her attention. "Are you sure?"

Nodding jerkily and wiping her tears away with her hands until Jason passed her a box of tissues, Elizabeth said, "I wouldn't put it past him to lie to me after everything else he's already done but I believe him. I think he is telling the truth because it makes sense both of the past and with everything that's been happening lately."

"Okay." Jason would still check out the story, not because he didn't trust Elizabeth but because he did not trust Rey as far as he could throw him. Although right now, he would really like to throw Rey Juarez off the steepest pier he could find. They would also need to explore this new angle so that maybe they could anticipate Rey's next move. Elizabeth couldn't take too many more surprises. She was holding on by a very thin thread as it was.

"When I was a little girl I used to dream that my real parents would show up one day and take me away from Jeff and Caroline. When Rey showed up and was so nice to me and really seemed to care, I wished that he was my real father. That he would take me away from that house and take me home with him. And now – now that I know he is my father, I can't think of anything worse. The very idea that part of him lives inside me makes me sick."

The tears were gone now; she had embraced the more comfortable feeling of fury. Her eyes were red and she kept rubbing her cheeks to erase the tracks they had left in their wake. That was fine with Jason. He could deal with rage or even fear but he could not stand to see her cry. It broke something inside him to see her hurt.

"You are nothing like him."

Jerking her head up to look at him, Elizabeth shook her head slowly. "There has to be something wrong with me. There has to be a reason why no one has ever been able to love me. My own mother wishes I didn't exist and the hell of it is - there are times I wish I didn't either."

Jason did not condone violence against women but he was seriously reconsidering that stance when it came to Caroline Webber. What kind of mother did this to their child? Elizabeth deserved better. She deserved to know that she was loved and wanted. She did not deserve to be treated and thrown aside like so much garbage.

Without thinking about it, Jason grabbed her by both shoulders none too gently and forced her to look at him. "I don't ever want to hear you say something like that. Forget all of them. They don't deserve someone like you. You are too special."

"No, I'm not." Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth shook her head. Of course Jason was going to say that – he had to. They had a child together and Lena would tie them together for the rest of their lives. Jason wasn't the type of person to sit idly by while someone was hurting. He might be a criminal but he had a good heart. One more reason she loved him. One more reason she could never tell him. Not now that she knew what she came from. It was so much worse to be Rey's daughter instead of just the offspring of two self-involved idiots who never should have had children in the first place. Look at how much trouble she had brought into his life.

"Don't let them affect the way you see yourself. They don't know you." Helplessly, he gave her a little shake but then realized how hard he was holding her and released her abruptly. Angry with himself, he ran a hand through his hair and then over his face. With a heavy sigh, he dropping his hand and looked back over at her. She was watching him with cold eyes. Elizabeth had shut down emotionally. It made him furious but his voice was soft when he said, "They can't because if they did they would see what I see."

Staring at him blankly, Elizabeth waited to see if Jason would pull a white rabbit out of a hat and convince her that Caroline hadn't been right all along – that she wasn't a worthless, no good, waste of space that didn't deserve the air she breathed. It didn't matter what he said because deep down she believed her mother. Eighteen years of hearing that and much worse and seeing the dislike on her mother's face had left her little room for doubt. However, there was a little piece of her, a tiny flickering flame in her heart that wanted him to give her hope. Some sort of signal that she wasn't anything like the people that had given her life, however reluctantly, and that maybe, just maybe he might feel something more for her than obligation.

"If they could see what I see, they would know how truly amazing you are. I knew from the first moment we met. I saw you and I knew that you were special. So special that I knew I didn't deserve someone as perfect. I couldn't walk away though – not then and sure as hell not now. I don't care who your parents are but I am grateful that they gave you life because I can't imagine _my_ life without you."

"That's very sweet." She wouldn't expect anything less from him. Jason was such a good man. She couldn't have picked a better father for Lena if she tried. He would never make Lena feel unwanted or unloved. He adored his little girl so much.

He couldn't believe it. She wasn't getting it. He had all but ripped his heart out of his chest and presented it to her. He should have known she wouldn't let him off that easy. Elizabeth would want it all. She would want the words.

Taking one of her slim, delicate hands in both of his, Jason looked deeply into her eyes. "I love you."

Startled, Elizabeth leaned back and away from him. Blown away didn't even begin to describe how she felt. "You love me?" She couldn't help but ask skeptically. A declaration of love was going beyond the call of duty even for Jason. It really wasn't fair to tease her that way. She really did love him and to have him tell her that just to make her feel better made her feelings feel cheap. Surprisingly enough, it didn't make her angry, just sad. Sad because it was just one more example of how impossible it was for someone to love her back.

Shocked as she may be, Elizabeth still looked so remote. He couldn't stand it. It made him long for the days that they argued over everything and anything. At least if she was yelling at him she would show signs of life. This defeated, lifeless woman was not his Elizabeth. His Elizabeth was opinionated, passionate and stubborn. Lord she was stubborn. He hated to see the fight go out of her but most of all he hated that he couldn't seem to do anything about it.

"You don't believe that I could love you?" He asked even though he already knew the answer, he could see it on her face. It was worse than he could ever imagine. It would hurt less if she had looked at him in disgust and told him that she could never love someone like him.

Smiling miserably, Elizabeth patted his hands with her free one. "I know you feel responsible for me because we have a child together. You probably like me as a person, as a friend and I'm sure you care for me a little."

"Also because of Lena?" It pissed him off. He wanted to put his fist through a wall. He could not believe that she'd convinced herself of that bullshit. This was not how it was supposed to go. He hadn't planned for it.

"I don't blame you for it. You're a really good person, Jason. I don't care what anyone else says, you are the best man I have ever met and I am so glad that Lena has you for a father. But you don't have to pretend to love me. No one expects you to. We can give Lena a good life with two parents who _like_ each other and _love_ her. That's more than some children have and –"

Jason relinquished her hand and jumped to his feet. With agitated steps he stalked over to the desk and yanked open the drawer. He retrieved the box he'd put there for safe keeping and returned to her. Sitting on the coffee table in front of her, he opened his hand and showed her the black velvet box.

Eyeing it suspiciously, Elizabeth then looked up at Jason's determined countenance and then unblinkingly back at the jewelry box with new comprehension. "Ohmigod," She squeaked. "Jason, what are you doing?"

"I love you," He told her flatly and then opened the box to display an impressive diamond engagement ring. "I want the three of us to be a family, a _real_ family. Not because I feel obligated or any of the crap you think you believe but because I love you. Yeah, we could give Lena a good life with two parents and two separate homes but that is not enough for me. I want more. I want the whole package. I want you to marry me."

It was everything she had ever let herself dream of and more. That flickering flame fanned into a full fledged blaze as tears sprang to her eyes. Jason's earnest proposal was the most romantic thing she had ever heard outside of a very sappy movie and he did it without getting too mushy. It meant more because he was a man of few words and the words he did speak were always chosen carefully.

No one had to tell her that he was speaking from the heart; she could see it in his eyes. He loved her. He wanted her. It was _the_ most beautiful moment of her life – other than Lena's birth of course. The hardest thing she would ever do would be to turn him down but she didn't have a choice. There was no way she would ever let Rey hurt him because of her. She would die herself before she let that happen.

"Jason, I –"

The door to the penthouse flew open and banged against the wall. "Damn it, Jason, why aren't you answering your phone. We have a problem," Sonny said before he made it across the threshold. He froze when he saw that Jason was not alone. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I didn't know you were here."

"It's okay," She replied quietly. Sonny's unannounced visit was a welcome last minute reprieve.

Jason did not share her feelings in the least. "It's a bad time. I'll be over later."

Sonny looked between them sensing the tension and shook his head with much regret. "I'm sorry but it can't wait."

"I'll go," Elizabeth volunteered.

"We aren't finished," Jason told her curling his hand around the ring box. The fact that she hadn't responded to his proposal not lost on him. One way or another, he wanted an answer.

Yes, they were, she thought as her heart broke in two, snuffing out the flames. Elizabeth went over to the bassinet and picked up Lena. "We can talk later."

There was no way he was going to let her walk out on him again. Laying a hand on her shoulder, Jason spoke quietly, "It's not safe for you to go out without a guard. If you'll take Lena upstairs so I can talk to Sonny for a few minutes then we can finish what we were discussing. After that … I'll see that you and Lena make it back to the cottage safe and post a new guard."

Reluctantly she agreed because it really wasn't wise for her to run around without a guard, especially not with Lena in tow. She felt like she had an excuse before because she had to get to Jason right away to tell him what she'd learned. It may not have been the smartest decision but she'd felt it was necessary. She wasn't sorry. She was also exceptionally fortunate that nothing had happened to either of them.

"Is that rocking chair still in Lena's room?"

Jason nodded, not willing to question how agreeable she was being. "Everything is just how you left it."

Once Elizabeth was safely upstairs and out of hearing range, Jason turned to Sonny. "What?" He demanded not bothering to hide his agitation.

"Juarez is instigating a war," Sonny said without preamble since Jason appeared to be in a hurry. "The shipment that was due in this afternoon was hijacked in route."

"Who's on it?"

"Stan is trying to track it and I put Tim and Pedro on it. There's more."

"Isn't there always," Jason groaned.

"Word on the street is that Juarez is looking to take you out."

"No surprise there."

"No, but Benny came across some new information just this morning. He's still waiting for the details but it looks like Juarez has a weak spot – he has a daughter."

"I know," Jason responded as he glanced towards the stairs and then pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "She's upstairs."

Upstairs, Elizabeth sat in the rocking chair with Lena trying not to let on how upset she was so the baby wouldn't pick up on it. Things had just gone from bad to worse. What should have been a happy occasion had turned into a nightmare. It was all due to Rey Juarez. Her so-called father claimed to love her but he was just using that as an excuse to destroy her life.

Without asking she knew that Rey was the one to shoot at them on the docks, grazing Jason and sending her into early labor. She could have lost them both that day so easily. Her father, whose blood was coursing through her veins, was responsible for so much pain and suffering. He was after Jason because of her. He would kill Jason because of her. If Rey had his way, Lena would never know her father. She would never know that Jason loved her and made her the center of his world. Lena would never know that her father would gladly give her the moon if she asked. Elizabeth looked down at her daughter as tears spilled over yet again. Her daughter deserved the chance to know her father – no matter what the cost.

Her mind made up, Elizabeth was staring at the wall, absentmindedly rocking Lena when Jason came in. He already had on his coat and Elizabeth knew they wouldn't be finishing their conversation just yet.

"I have to go out for a while but I need to ask you to do something for me," He told her as he ran a hand over Lena's head. "I'd really like it if you and Lena would stay here for tonight. I've already sent someone to get Brenda; she'll stay here with you."

"Okay."

"Most of our men are busy working on other things so it would really help me if I knew you were safe."

"We won't leave the penthouse until we hear from you," She told him without him having to ask. He would do whatever it took to protect them and at least he was doing it the right way this time. She appreciated the effort.

"Thank you."

"I know you are just looking out for all of us and since it's my father causing the problems, I figure I should help however I can. Even if is just by staying out of the way."

"Elizabeth."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. "Do whatever it takes to keep us safe, Jason. That includes you."

"Are you telling me to kill your father?"

"He's not my father. Rey Juarez is nothing to me. You do what you have to."

She had managed to surprise him again. He never thought he would hear her telling him that he had her permission to kill someone. On impulse he pulled the jewelry box out of his pocket and took the hand she had resting on Lena's stomach. Pressing it into her hand, he said, "I am not good at going after what I want. I don't know how to be selfish but I'm going to just this once."

"Jason –"

"Just hold onto this and think it over," He said cutting her off before she could say anything and curling her numb fingers around the box. "I want you to marry me and I am willing to wait for you. I'll wait as long as it takes."


	47. Chapter 47

**Flashfiction #186: Plans Change Part 47**

**Prompt: A Tragic Case of Feeling **

The storm had come out of nowhere. None of the weatherman had said anything about rain that morning. In fact, they had promised plenty of sunshine. If they had even mentioned a chance of rain Brenda might have remembered to take an umbrella with her. Stupid Channel Five with their smiling, meteorologist in his bad rug because of them she was cold, wet and pretty sure her brand new shoes were ruined.

Sitting in the antiseptic waiting room of the doctor's little clinic, Brenda tried not to think about how cold, wet and uncomfortable she was. Enzo stood near the door keeping an eye out for any potential threats. Johnny was in with the doctor. Francis had regained consciousness on the way over but he was still a little out of it.

Brenda wanted to call Elizabeth to let her know but her phone was back at the cottage and Enzo wasn't sharing his. Plucking at her soaked jeans, she sighed in annoyance. She hated rain. It seemed like something bad always happened to her when it rained.

Johnny came out looking harassed. "The doc wants to keep Fran over night for observation," He reported as he straightened his tie. And with a lot of persuasion Francis had even consented.

"But he's okay?" Brenda asked as she climbed to her feet, barely suppressing a wince as her shoes made a squishing sound.

"The doc seems to think so," Johnny replied running a hand through his hair and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," Brenda said with smile as she stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around Johnny and gave him a hug.

Awkwardly Johnny patted her back and was about to peel her off him when the door to the clinic opened and his boss came in.

"We have to call Elizabeth," Brenda said dropping back down on her feet as she dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her damp shirt. "She's going to be so relieved."

When Johnny didn't say anything in response, Brenda frowned at him and then followed his gaze. "Oh, it's you," She said when she saw Sonny standing just inside the door.

Ignoring Brenda and her less than welcoming greeting, Sonny asked, "How is Francis?"

"The doc says he'll be fine but he's got to stay overnight," Johnny answered taking a step away from Brenda. It'd be a damn shame to get blood on his new suit and judging from the expression on Sonny's face when he'd come in and saw Brenda with her arms around him, Sonny would want more than a pound of flesh.

With a nod of understanding, Sonny turned his gaze to Brenda. "You need to come with me. Elizabeth and Lena are waiting for you at Harborview."

"Why? What's wrong?" Brenda asked even as she reached for the jacket she'd left hanging on the back of the blue plastic chair to drip dry.

"There's something going down and it would be better, security wise, if you, Elizabeth and the baby stayed at the penthouse for the night."

"Where's Jason?"

Sonny shook his head and Brenda huffed in annoyance. Sometimes the stupid code of silence Sonny and Jason lived by really got old. She just hoped Jason had handled things better this time around because there was no telling what Elizabeth would do this time if he tried to pull that same old crap.

Brenda watched as Sonny sent Enzo and Johnny away, spoke with the doctor and then let him usher her out to the limo. After they were safely on their way to the cottage for her to pack a few things, Brenda crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Sonny with an intense frown.

"You know," She began, "this is exactly what I was talking about. You don't care about what anyone else wants. Everything has to be your way or the highway."

"Is this about Johnny again?" Sonny asked as he leaned back in the plush black leather seat.

"Yes. No. Maybe a little."

"Brenda –"

"He was just doing his job. You can't get mad at him for doing his job."

"I'm not going to argue about this with you anymore," Sonny informed her with a look that dared her to push him on it. "Enzo will be your guard for the time being."

"You mean until I get to know and trust him and then you'll replace him with some guy I've never laid eyes on before? Do you even care how that makes me feel? You say you need me but you don't act like it. You treat me like a possession. I had my fill of that with Luis and I'm certainly not going to let you –"

Her flow of words was cut off when Sonny grabbed her and kissed her. It was the best way to shut her up he was finding and this time, she couldn't run.

**Harborview Towers: **

Elizabeth flipped open the velvet box Jason had given her before he left and stared at the ring inside. So far she'd resisted taking it out and trying it on. It was beautiful. Quite possibly the most beautiful ring she had ever seen made even more special because Jason had picked it out himself – for her.

He said he loved her … and she believed him. It was why she was sitting in the living room of his penthouse, their daughter asleep in her room upstairs, waiting for him to call or come home, again. It wasn't like last time though. Everything had changed. All the walls had come down. All that remained was the rubble she had yet to pick her way through.

There was no denying that she loved him. She'd stayed. Not only had she stayed in Port Charles but now she was back in the penthouse. The penthouse that she had worked so hard to turn into a home as she'd let her hormonal mind spin dreams of them becoming a happy family and living out the fairy tale. She had only just begun to let that dream go and now Jason was offering her a chance to make it reality.

Oh, she wasn't naive enough to believe that their life would be fairy tale perfect but they could have something really special. They could give Lena the family that she had never had and always wanted. Jason was a patient man. He could show her how to open her heart and love someone freely. He'd already gone a long way to do that already.

As much as it scared her, Elizabeth wanted it desperately. Jason said he wasn't a selfish man. That he didn't fight for the things he wanted but this time he wasn't going to walk away. She was good at being selfish, maybe too good. It would be easy to do the selfish thing this time and take everything he offered.

Removing the ring from the box with trembling fingers, she held it up to the light. It would be so damn easy. Although it was tempting to slip the ring on her finger just to try it on and get a feel for it, she couldn't. Instead she held it between two fingers and silently let tears fall unchecked down her face.

There was a choice to make. She could do the selfish thing, say yes, marry Jason and thus, sign his death warrant or she could do the hardest thing she would ever have to, say no and hope that was enough to keep her father at bay. There was another way, she thought. Jason could kill Rey and clear their way for a future together.

Did it make her a horrible person to wish for someone to die? To give Jason permission to kill her father, her flesh and blood, however unwanted, so that she could have what she wanted?

"Rey deserves whatever he gets," She assured herself. After all, he had shot at them all on the docks. He claimed to love her and yet he tried to kill her. Jason would kill him for that alone, no permission required. Jason was going to kill him anyway … or Rey would kill him first.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth knew she couldn't let herself think about that. Jason could not die because she couldn't go on without him. She couldn't raise their daughter without him. It was unimaginable.

She just didn't know what to do.

Elizabeth had just returned the ring to the box and closed it when Brenda came in with Marco trailing behind her loaded down with bags.

"You moving in?" Elizabeth asked with a laugh.

"It's not all mine," Brenda said in defense. "I brought some clothes for you, both of our work from L&B and some of Lena's favorite toys." Grinning at Marco as he deposited the bags near the stairs, Brenda said, "Thank you, Marco."

He nodded in acknowledgement and then slipped out the door without a sound.

"No wonder Sonny likes him," Brenda muttered, "he barely makes any noise. Sometimes I'm tempted to check his pulse just to see if he's still breathing."

Elizabeth laughed as Brenda flopped down on the couch. "Where's Johnny?"

"Don't even get me started on that," Brenda replied with a groan.

"Why? What happened?"

"Sonny decided that I'm not allowed to be friends with the guards. He reassigned Johnny and gave me Enzo. He didn't even tell me. I went out this morning and found this strange, hulking man on the front porch where Johnny was supposed to be as usual. At first I thought he was there to kill me or kidnap me, or whatever. I almost had a heart attack right then and there. I swear Sonny is the most arrogant man alive."

Eyeing her friend speculatively, Elizabeth figured she'd been right all along; Brenda was still in love with Sonny and scared to death. A feeling she could identify with herself. What a pair they made. In love and too afraid to go after what the really wanted.

"Did it ever cross your mind that Sonny is jealous of your friendship with Johnny?"

**Corinthos/Morgan Imports: **

Jason walked out of the warehouse and flipped up the collar of his scarred leather jacket in attempt to keep rain from running down his neck as he headed for his bike. A freak summer storm was the last thing he needed. It wasn't every day you had to kill your girlfriend's new found father.

According to Benny, Juarez was still in town and staying at the Port Charles Hotel. Right under their noses he thought with a sneer. Arrogant bastard.

Jason looked up from pulling his keys out of his pocket when he heard a car slow almost to stop. The back window on the passenger side rolled down and then he knew. He didn't even have time to curse properly as he dove for cover and bullets began to fly.


	48. Chapter 48

**Flashfiction #187: Plans Change Part 48**

**Prompt: Fireworks **

"Ohmigod!" Brenda exclaimed as Elizabeth showed her the engagement ring Jason had given her. Who knew Jason Morgan had such good taste? Certainly not her but he obviously had something going for him to land someone like Elizabeth. "Why aren't you wearing it?"

"I haven't said yes yet," Elizabeth murmured as she snapped the lid closed and curled her hand around it as she rested it in her lap.

"Yet?" That sounded promising or hopeful at the very least.

"I don't know if I can marry Jason," Elizabeth admitted in a pained whisper, on the verge of tears yet again. All she could seem to do was cry today and it was getting really old.

"Why the hell not?" Brenda demanded. "I have watched both of you do nothing but mope around like two lovesick puppies for the past two months. Put us all out of our misery and marry the man for goodness sake."

Hanging her head, Elizabeth took several deep breathes. It just didn't get any easier to say. "Rey Juarez is my father and he's going after Jason because of me."

It wasn't often that Brenda Barrett was struck speechless but this was definitely one of those times. Blinking myopically as she stared at Elizabeth, she opened her mouth and then snapped it shut several times before she actually found her tongue. "Do you think Jason cares that daddy dearest wants to fit him for a pair of cement shoes? I've known Jason since before he was Jason Morgan and I can tell you that he doesn't give a damn."

"I know that!" Dragging a hand through her hair in agitation, Elizabeth searched for the words to explain herself but it wasn't easy due to the fact that she wasn't sure she understood the reasons herself. "Jason may not care but I do. If Jason gets hurt because of me –" She trailed off too choked up to continue and determined to fight the sob working its way up her throat.

The revelation that Juarez was Elizabeth's father had sent her into a tailspin of unexpected and inescapable emotion. Brenda could understand how the sudden appearance of an unknown parent could affect you. The arrival of her mother had lead to nothing but heartbreak for her. Hell, she'd been dead for all intents and purposes for years all because of her mother. It had cost her everything. So while she _did_ get what Elizabeth was going through, she wasn't going to sit back and let her throw a chance at happiness away.

"The way I see it, you have a choice," Brenda told her. "You can say no, break Jason's heart as well as your own and hope that is enough to placate your father or you can say yes, like you know you want to, and take however many years you get with Jason and cherish them."

"It's not that easy."

"Of course it isn't that easy. What in life is easy? All I'm saying is that whether it's your father or someone else, Jason is always in danger. He lives his life out there on the very edge. He likes it that way as far as I can tell and you know what, he's pretty damn good at it. So far, he's always come home in one piece."

"But –"

"I've never seen Jason as happy as he has been since you came into his life," Brenda interrupted. "He loves you. He did tell you he loved you, right?" It would be just like him to propose and forget to tell her how he felt. Men were such idiots.

"Yes, he did," Elizabeth admitted with a beleaguered sigh. "And I love him but that doesn't change the fact that Rey wants to kill him. If my _father_," She said it as if it was four letter word, "wants to kill him just for getting involved with me, having a child with me and therefore dragging me into his life, what is he going to do if I marry him? He'll probably blow up the church."

Grinning, Brenda asked, "So you want a church wedding?"

"Brenda," Elizabeth groaned in exasperation. "I'm trying to look out for everyone's best interests here."

"No, you're just being a scared little girl, afraid to reach out and grab onto what you really want," Brenda responded knowingly. "If you walk away from Jason, you will regret it for the rest of your life and let me tell you, regrets are not easy to live with."

Elizabeth didn't have a comeback for that because she was scared. She was scared that Jason would be the one to pay the price for her selfishness. She also knew she would regret it if she turned him down. But she could live with regrets a lot easier than she could with Jason's death.

A low, thin wail from Lena came through the baby monitor on the coffee table startling both of the women. Elizabeth started to get up but Brenda stopped her. "Let me get her. You think about what everything we talked about."

Releasing her death grip on the ring box, Elizabeth ran her hands over her face with a groan. She had done nothing but think since Jason had asked her to marry him. There wasn't much of a choice given how much she wanted to become his wife and forget that Rey Juarez even existed. The things Brenda said made a lot of sense, she could not deny that but she could not shake the feeling that if she went ahead and married Jason it would push Rey right over the edge. If he had the balls to shoot at them in the middle of the day, out in the open while she was carrying his grandchild, what would he do if he was really desperate?

Retrieving the box from where it had rolled to the floor, Elizabeth opened it once more and took out the ring. Rolling it between her fingers, she wondered how it would feel on her finger. Marriage had never interested her before Jason and Lena had come into her life. She'd always thought it would be something akin to death to give yourself to another person. Watching the people she thought to be her parents, she had come to believe that marriage was a prison of sorts, one that she didn't want any part of. She wanted to be free to live her life for herself. It was amazing how much she had changed over the last year. Without another thought she slipped it on her finger but only got it past the first knuckle before she stopped and sat staring at it. It felt different than she thought it would. It fit. It seemed right, as if it made just for her.

Elizabeth didn't notice when the door slowly opened but the click of the door closing was what had her looking up expecting to find Jason as she went weak with relief that he was home safe. When she saw it was Sonny, her brow furrowed in confusion. She had figured Sonny and Jason were together doing whatever it was they did. "Sonny?" She asked as she tried for a smile forgetting about the ring half on or off her finger depending on how you looked at it.

Nodding in greeting, Sonny took a few steps toward where she sat on the couch and then stopped. Running a hand over his mouth, he wondered how he was supposed to break the news to Elizabeth. The last thing she needed was more bad news.

Elizabeth gave the mobster her full attention. There was something about the expression on his face that told her that whatever he was there for was not good. "Sonny, what's wrong?"

Knowing he couldn't put it off, he went and knelt in front of her. Taking one of her hands in his, Sonny said, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"Sorry?" She parroted in momentary confusion and then it really hit her. Sonny hadn't dropped in to check on them or look for Jason; he was there to tell her that something had gone horribly wrong. "I-is he …"

Patting her hand awkwardly, Sonny swallowed past the lump lodged in his throat. "Jason is at the hospital. He's been shot."

**General Hospital: **

Jason was already in surgery when Sonny and Elizabeth arrived. They were shown into an empty waiting room where she fell onto a lumpy purple couch while Sonny paced behind her, jingling the loose change in his pocket as he walked off his nervousness. She wished she could join him but she couldn't feel her legs she was so numb.

There was no need to ask who was responsible, she already knew. Her father, the man that had helped give her life, had tried to rip it all away again by taking Jason from her. It was her worst nightmare come true.

Brenda and Lena had just joined them when the doctor came into the waiting room. "Are you Jason Morgan's next of kin?" He asked.

"Yes," Sonny answered as he stopped behind Elizabeth and rested his hands on her shoulders. "I'm his employer and this is his fiancé."

Elizabeth didn't even bother to correct him. It didn't matter who the doctor thought she was, she just wanted to know what was going on. Although she supposed it helped the story considering she was wearing an engagement ring on the appropriate finger. She hadn't even realized she had slipped it all the way onto her finger until they were in the car and even then she hadn't made any move to take it off.

The doctor nodded as he whipped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand and pushed his floppy brown hair out of his face. "I'm Dr. Drake; I was the one to operate. Mr. Morgan was shot in the left shoulder. Luckily no major damage was done but we had to go in and retrieve the bullet. He lost a lot of blood before he made it here so we gave him a transfusion."

"Is he going to be alright?" Elizabeth asked wishing the doctor would just get to the point already.

Smiling, Dr. Drake nodded. "I expect Mr. Morgan to make a full recovery."

Elizabeth collapsed back onto the couch, tears running down her face as Sonny sagged in relief. Brenda bounced Lena in her arms and pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead as she reached over to pat Elizabeth's knee.

"They are moving him to a room now," Dr. Drake continued. "You can see him once he's settled but he will probably be out for awhile yet."

"Thank you," Sonny said surging forward to shake the surgeon's hand. Elizabeth echoed the sentiment from where she sat; she still couldn't seem to find her legs.

"I'll have a nurse come get you when you can see your fiancé," Dr. Drake told her with a kind smile as he left the waiting room.


	49. Chapter 49

**Flashfiction #188: Plans Change Part 49**

**Prompt: Tiramisu and a chandelier **

She was afraid to touch him.

He was so pale, so motionless. Nothing at all like the man she had grown to know and love. It didn't seem right to see him so vulnerable and exposed. If it wasn't for the steady heartbeat measured by the monitor hooked to his chest, Elizabeth almost would have believed he was dead.

The fact was … he could have been.

She shivered but it had nothing to do with the cool temperature of the sterile hospital room and everything to do with the icy fingers of death that crawled up her spine, reminding her that this had been a close call. Wrapping her arms around her middle in an attempt to ward off the chill and to hold herself together, Elizabeth peered into Jason's sleeping face as if the answers that she so needed were written there.

The doctor had warned her that he would be out for a while and even though she knew Jason needed to rest, she was desperate for him to open his eyes. She needed to hear it from the man himself that he would be all right. She needed to look into his eyes and know that he was still with her. She needed that connection.

The nurse who had brought her to Jason told her to talk to him, to hold his hand because he might be able to hear her and be comforted by her voice. Elizabeth wasn't so sure she bought that. It wasn't really that she didn't think Jason could hear her but she didn't know how comforting of a presence she was. Now if they told her to piss him off – that she could do with no problem.

The fight had gone out of her though.

Looking behind her, Elizabeth found a stool and rolled it over to the bed. Sitting down, she continued to watch him sleep with her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She didn't want to fight anymore, not with him and certainly not her feelings for him. She was so damn tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of pretending.

It had to stop.

Unclasping her hands, Elizabeth hesitantly lifted a shaking hand to Jason's face. His jaw was rough with a day's growth of stubble as she rested her hand on his cheek. It made her long to wrap her arms around him in a tight embrace and rub her cheek against his just to assure herself that he was real. Tears pricked the back of her eyes but she fought them back as she dropped her hand onto the bed and curled it into a fist. Jason was alive. This wasn't the time to cry. She had to be strong for both of them now just as Jason had been strong for her when she'd had Lena.

Sniffling, Elizabeth unclenched her hand and slid it over to where Jason's lay motionless. She watched his face, hoping for a flicker of awareness as she laid her hand over his and then gripped it as hard as she dared. Her diamond engagement ring glittered even in the dimly lit room. And still he slept.

"Don't you dare leave me, Jason," She told him fiercely. "I love you too much to lose you now."

**Hospital Chapel: **

Brenda sat leaning forward to rest her hands on the pew in front of her as she prayed to a God she wasn't entirely sure existed. She had been through too much in her life, especially these past several years, for her to believe in anything blindly. Her faith may not be what it used to be but she still believed in one thing. Love. Even after everything she still believed in love. She believed that it could heal even the most battered heart, soothe the most ravaged soul and calm even the most savage beast. Call her a romantic but damn it she had to believe in something.

Her heart had been raked over the coals so many times over the years she didn't know if she had much left to give. The power to love was strong but you could only give your heart away so many times before there was nothing left. Her friendship had filled a big gaping hole in her life and little Lena had reminded her that there was hope but Brenda was in no hurry to fall in love again. Especially not with a pushy, arrogant mobster with eyes the color of obsidian and a dimpled smile.

It was the smile that got her every time.

She was a sucker for those damned dimples. Even when she knew he was lying right to her face all he had to do was flash those dimples and she bought into everything he said. Groaning, Brenda rested her head between her hands against the smooth wood of the pew. No matter how many times he hurt her, she always went back. She couldn't help herself. Luis had known it. He knew that as long as Sonny Corinthos drew breath she would never be able to completely give her heart to another. That was why Luis wanted Sonny dead. It wasn't for his territory. It didn't have a thing to do with business. It was battle for her heart only Luis hadn't know that the victor had been declared long ago. Or maybe he had and that was what drove his obsession. It didn't really matter either way; she wouldn't have stopped loving Sonny even if Luis had succeeded in killing him.

When she heard the door open, she didn't bother to turn; she already knew whom it was. As he slid into the pew behind her, Brenda could smell his aftershave. After all these years it had never changed. It was comforting. It was also terrifying because she knew without a doubt that he would always be her one, her soul mate.

Brenda would go to her grave loving Sonny Corinthos.

"Are you okay?" Sonny asked quietly not wanting to disturb the quiet, peaceful sanctuary but concerned about Brenda's frame of mind. She had practically fled the waiting room moments after Elizabeth went in to see Jason, thrusting Lena into Emily's arms.

"Just dandy," She answered as she lifted her head and leaned back in the pew but still didn't face him. "Is Elizabeth still in with Jason?"

"Yes."

"Good, they need some time alone together – even if one of them is unconscious."

"Can't fight that way."

"You don't know them very well if you believe that," Brenda replied with a shake of her head. The first thing they would probably do when Jason woke up was fight. They just couldn't help themselves. Of course, this time they would probably fight about getting married. She hoped Jason won this round. "Jason asked Elizabeth to marry him."

"Good for him." Sonny smiled, pleased that his friend had finally found someone to love who loved him back. Elizabeth would be good for him. Jason was made to be a father and husband. Some men were. Sonny couldn't say he was one of them, regrettably.

"Elizabeth is afraid of her father."

It bothered him that he had to talk to the back of her head but he didn't make any move to change that. "Juarez won't be an issue much longer."

"I didn't think he would." Jason did not give up easily and Rey Juarez had crossed the line one too many times. The man had been dead from the moment he had shot at Elizabeth on the docks. Jason didn't give much thought to his own safety but no one messed with the woman he loved. Rey might as well tape a target to his back and stamp 'Dead Man Walking' on his forehead.

"I noticed Elizabeth wearing an engagement ring. I took that to mean she already said yes."

"Was she?" Brenda asked turning to glance back at him, laying a hand on the back of her pew. It gave her hope that Elizabeth had come around and maybe listened to her a little. "Maybe they have a chance after all."

Sonny nodded and then reached out to put his hand over hers. "What about us, Brenda? Do we have a chance?"

Startled, she pulled her hand from under his. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

Letting his hand fall back to his lap, Sonny regarded her with cool dark eyes. "I've never stopped loving you."

Not wanting to hear it, Brenda stared back at the front of the chapel. Alarm bells were going off in her head but that didn't stop her heart from doing cartwheels.

"I was devastated when I thought you were dead," Sonny told her quietly. There were not words to describe how much it had hurt when she had gone over that cliff and everyone believed she was dead. He also could not express the elation he had felt upon learning she was alive. "I don't think I ever really got over it."

But he had, Brenda thought. He had moved on, gotten married and had a family. There was no doubt that he loved Carly. Maybe there marriage had been dysfunctional but there was love there. She didn't begrudge him the happiness that he had found with another woman but he also could not expect her to believe that he had loved her the whole time he had been with Carly.

"When I saw you walk out of that church that day smiling – laughing – I thought I was seeing things. That you were a ghost. It wouldn't be the first time I'd seen your ghost. Sometimes I would catch the fleeting scent of your perfume as if you had just left the room and would be right back. I would hear your laugh at night. You haunted me, Brenda." Sonny fell silent, drawn back to a time where he had believed dying was the only way he would escape. He went down to the island to preserve his sanity and give Brenda back hers. It hadn't worked.

"If you weren't a ghost, I thought you must be an angel. I – I saw Lily and the children I'd lost once. You weren't there. I wanted to stay there with them but Lily sent me back. I had to come back for Carly and Michael. Maybe I had to come back for you too." Unable to stop himself, Sonny reached out and touched her hair, barely raking his fingertips through the wildly curling tresses as he chocked back tears. "I wasn't meant to die that day even though part of me wanted to let go. I needed to live and I thought it was for Carly and Michael but now I know it was so I could see you again. I was meant to see your resurrection. We both got a second chance at life, a chance to change things."

Brenda didn't dare wipe away the tears running down her face. She didn't want him to know he had made her cry, that he could still touch her so deeply. "W-what do you want to change?" She asked her voice breaking.

"Everything," He sighed. "I want to make up for every time I hurt you."

"You can't."

"No, but I can try … if you'll give me a chance."

Dashing tears away with the back of her hand, Brenda whirled around to look at him. "Why should I give you another chance? You don't trust me. You don't respect me."

He hated that he made her cry. He always seemed to make her cry. "Is this about Johnny again?"

"In a way," Brenda admitted. She'd thought Elizabeth was crazy to suggest that Sonny was jealous of her relationship with Johnny at first but now she was beginning to wonder. But it wasn't just that Sonny had replaced her guard, he had taken away one of her very few friends. He had upset the delicate balance of her world. He was trying to control her life when she had just gotten it back. If he trusted and respected her, he would talk to her about things before he did them. Hell, he could yell at her – that seemed to work for Jason and Elizabeth. They at least got their issues out in the open.

"I don't know what else you want me to say, Brenda. I told you why I did it and I'm not going to apologize for insuring your safety."

"Are you jealous of Johnny?'

Sonny's eyebrows jerked up in surprise. Hell yes, he was jealous but he didn't want her know that. "Why would I be jealous of one of my employees?"

Brenda rolled her eyes and turned around again in frustration. Sometimes she wanted to grab Sonny by the lapels of his expensive Italian suit and shake the hell out of him. "You shouldn't be you know," She told him. "Johnny has no interest in me. Never has. Never will."

"Doesn't look like that from where I'm sitting."

"Then make an appointment to have your eyes checked," She snapped. "Johnny's been dating Emily for the past two months."

**Jason's room: **

Elizabeth was resting her head on the bed, her hand still clutching Jason's when she felt his hand move under hers. Jerking upright, looked first at his hand to make sure she wasn't imagining things and then up at his face. His eyes remained closed and his hand didn't move again. Unwilling to relinquish her hold on him, Elizabeth clung to his hand as if was a lifeline as she stood up.

"Jason?" She whispered as she laid her hand on his face. "I'm here. Open your eyes."

Minutes ticked by so slowly it was as if time had stopped altogether but Elizabeth didn't move. She barely dared to blink as she waited for Jason to rejoin the conscious world. Barely resisting the urge to shake him awake, Elizabeth sighed and continued to wait and watch. "I'm not going anywhere," She whispered in his ear. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere." Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his.

It was true. She was not going to let her father take Jason away from her. She had lost too much time thinking about Jeff and Caroline. Wondering why they never wanted or loved her. Rey didn't matter at all. He had lost any sway with her the moment she figured out he was the one causing all the problems Sonny and Jason had been having and that he was the one that shot at them on the docks. She had no use for him, father or not. Rey might claim to love her but it was only more lie in a lifetime full of lies and deception. Jason loved her. He loved her for who she was – for better or worse. He had broken down all her walls and made her feel something she had never felt before, wanted.

Elizabeth sat back down only to pop right back up again. Jason's eyes were open. "Jason?" She breathed.

He blinked, looked around and winced when the pain started to bleed into his consciousness. Hospital, he thought with a groan. He hated hospitals. Blearily, his eyes came to rest on Elizabeth and the corner of his mouth hooked up. He tried to talk but his mouth was so dry his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Elizabeth released his hand and poured water from the plastic pitcher on the table into a matching cup. She unwrapped a straw and stuck it in the water before holding to Jason's lips. He took a few sips and then shook his head to signal he'd had enough.

Setting the cup aside, Elizabeth remained standing aware that she needed to get a nurse but not wanting to leave his side. "You were shot in the shoulder. They had to operate to get the bullet out."

Jason growled. That bastard Juarez had succeeded in putting him out of commission. The fact that he wasn't dead was Jason's only consolation. Getting shot really pissed him off. He was going to enjoy putting a bullet right between Juarez' eyes just as soon as he could get the hell out of there.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said hanging her head. "It's my fault."

"Not … your … fault," Jason rasped as he reached for hand. As coincidence would have it, it was her left hand. When he saw the ring on her hand his eyes flew up to hers, hope flaring inside him.

Elizabeth looked down at her hand in his, at his ring on her finger and then back at him. She wasn't exactly sure when she had made up her mind but she thought it might have been in the seconds after Sonny had told her Jason was hurt. Faced with losing him, she knew that she couldn't live without him. "I've thought about your proposal and I've made up my mind."

"Yes?" He asked almost afraid to hope. He had so much to say to her but his throat was so tight and dry. It didn't help that every inch of his body hurt. His shoulder was on fire and his head was pounding like a jackhammer.

"Yes," She answered solemnly and then smiled. "I love you, Jason, and if you are willing to take a chance on me then so am I."

"I'm willing," He replied moving his hand so that he held hers palm to palm. If he wasn't as week as a newborn baby he would kiss the hell out of her. That, he decided, would have to wait for later. After all, they had plenty of time.

"Lena's out in the waiting room with everybody," She told him because she knew he would want to know.

"Everybody?"

Laughing, Elizabeth eased up on the edge of the bed, careful not to jar him. "Well, it would seem that you are a popular guy around here. Sonny brought me and Brenda followed not long after with Lena. Monica and Bobbie were on duty so they've been in and out. Johnny went and got Emily. Benny and a bunch of the other guards are here. Francis wanted to come but I hear that he is afraid of the very long needle the doctor threatened him with to get him to stay put. Alan stopped by and Lila sends her love. She didn't come but she's been getting regular updates over the phone. See, you are one very popular patient. Of course that was while they had you knocked out. We'll just have to see what happens now that you're awake."

Jason didn't say anything; he was just staring at their intertwined hands with an intense expression on his face. "When are you going to marry me?" He asked.

Smiling, Elizabeth bit her lip to keep from laughing giddily. How was it possible to be this happy when a few hours earlier she had been devastated? "Just as soon as you can stand up for longer than five minutes," She promised. "So, heal fast."

Jason smiled that boyish half smile she loved so much that she leaned forward and kissed him again. When she leaned back to look at him, she found Jason frowning. "What's wrong? Is it your shoulder?" She asked already reaching for the call button.

Putting his hand over hers, Jason stopped her from calling the nurse. "My shoulder hurts but it's not that bad."

A skeptical lift of her brow told him she didn't buy that for a second. He chose to ignore it. "I should have asked you differently."

"To marry you?" She asked trying to follow his train of thought.

"Yeah. I just sort of threw the ring at you and –"

"How were you going to do it? Get down on one knee after a candlelight dinner?" She asked. "Jason, that's just not us."

He actually hadn't planned how he was going to ask her to marry him but it certainly wasn't the way he had ended up doing it. Elizabeth deserved a little romance. He should have made the effort to give that to her, to take her out on a normal date and give her flowers for no reason at all. She was right, it wasn't him but that didn't mean she didn't deserve those things. For her he could try.

Elizabeth could tell he wasn't convinced. "Maybe it wasn't the most romantic proposal but it was perfect just the same. All that matters is that you love me and I love you." Something sparked in his eyes and she realized that this was the first time she had told him she loved him while he was conscious to hear it.

"You love me?"

"Yeah," She laughed, "I love you and I want the whole package just like you said. I want you."

Even though the pain almost ripped him in half, Jason pulled her down with him onto the bed. Even though she squealed and yelled at him for hurting himself, he ignored her. Grasping her chin in one hand he brought her lips to his in a searing kiss. When he released her, albeit reluctantly and Elizabeth scrambled off the bed muttering about opening his incision, Jason couldn't help but smile. Catching her eye, he said, "I love you too."


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: The end is here! As hard as it is to let a story go, I love to complete a fic. There is always a sense of accomplishment. It's a real rush. I just hope I ended it in a way that pleases everyone. crosses fingers

I always wanted to try Flashfic because it seemed like a real challenge and I love a challenge. However, it was also very intimidating. The hour time limit. Never knowing what the prompt would be. I finally gave it a whirl and found that it's a lot of fun. It really forces you to get those ole creative juices flowing.

Thank you to everyone for the feedback, encouragement, and patience while I figured out what the heck I was doing, Huma for my beautiful banners and everyone who voted in the polls to decide the sex of the Liason offspring and Brenda's love interest. You all rock!

**Flashfiction #189: Plans Change Part 50**

**Prompt: Kill Somebody Already **

**Six Months Later: **

Elizabeth hastily shoved her books into her messenger bag and then leapt to her feet, eager to get home. On her way out of the building she waved to a couple friends and paused only once to get back the notes she had lent to a girl from her Art History class. As she stepped out the door she slipped her sunglasses on and ignored the two guards that feel instep behind her. Smiling when she saw the car waiting at the curb, Francis holding the backdoor open for her, Elizabeth picked up her pace. As much as she loved being back at school, studying something she was passionate about, at the end of the day all she wanted to do was go home to the people she loved.

"Thanks, Fran," She said as she tossed her bag in the door first and then jumped in after it. "Home, Jeeves," She commanded with a giggle to Johnny.

"Anything you say, Miss Elizabeth," He responded with a wink as Francis got in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt, ever the stickler for safety. Johnny then eased away from the curb and into the chaos that was campus traffic. A glance in the rearview mirror told him that their tail car, with Elizabeth's guards was following.

Knowing that Elizabeth liked to unwind a little after class, Francis turned the radio to the classic rock station she liked and upped the volume.

Elizabeth sighed, leaned back in the leather seat closing her eyes and let her mind drift. So much had changed in the past several months. One glance at her left ring finger told part of that story as a plain silver band had joined her engagement ring only three months prior. Jason was ready to head to the alter as soon as he had been released from the hospital and she hadn't exactly argued … Emily and Brenda had though. The two women had ganged up on them and laid a guilt trip on Jason about how she deserved a real wedding, in a church before a priest, God and everyone that loved them – or at least held a passing curiosity. Elizabeth did her best to convince him that she didn't need any of that but once an idea had been planted in Jason's head it was hard to convince him otherwise. So, they – meaning Emily and Brenda – planned a traditional wedding with all the trimmings.

Three months later, Jason, Elizabeth and Lena became an official family with Brenda as maid of honor and Sonny as best man. Elizabeth cried her way through the ceremony unable to believe that she and Jason were really getting married. Jason had shed a tear or two himself as he had slipped the plain platinum wedding band on her finger with the engagement ring that had not left her finger since the day she had put it on and promised her forever. The church had been packed to stand room only with friends and family – Jason's, not hers because as far as she was concerned she didn't have parents. Jason, Lena, Brenda, Sonny, Emily and assorted guards were her family now.

Emily had caught the bouquet, much to Brenda's chagrin and Jason's dismay, as he had only found out weeks before, at their engagement party no less, that his baby sister was involved romantically with Johnny. After throwing Johnny up against the wall, horrifying Emily and making Brenda roll her eyes in exasperation; Jason let the whole thing go. He even gave them his blessing when Johnny revealed that he loved her and if that meant that Jason had to take him out into the woods and put a bullet between his eyes, well, he was okay with that. There were worse things to die for than love after all. However, that didn't mean Jason was in any hurry to see his sister marry into the mob.

The garter toss had been nothing short of hilarious with all the guards backing away and holding off every either eligible bachelor there to let an unwitting Sonny catch it. The look on the mob boss's face was priceless and had sent Elizabeth into such a case of the giggles that she couldn't stop until Jason had picked her up and carried her out to the limo. It wasn't until they were well on their way to the island for their honeymoon that Elizabeth revealed that she had set the whole thing up in an effort to push Sonny and Brenda together. Call it payback for all the matchmaking Brenda had done for them.

Their weeklong stay at Sonny's island paradise as Elizabeth liked to call it was her wedding present from Jason but she considered something else her real gift. Two weeks before their wedding, Rey Juarez' bloated body was found floating in the harbor. Two gunshots, one to the head and the other to the heart removed their tormenter and her so-called father. She never asked; she didn't have to because she knew Jason had kept his promise, he had kept them safe.

When the car slowed to a stop, Elizabeth opened her eyes to find that they were pulling into the parking garage at The Towers. She was home.

**The Cottage: **

"How many shoes does one woman need?" Sonny grumbled as yet another box marked _Shoes_ went out the front door to be loaded into the moving truck.

"As many as she wants," Brenda answered as she came down the stairs with a suitcase in hand.

"I'm going to have to build a closet just for your shoes," He said as he met her at the bottom and relieved her of the small bag of essentials that she carried.

"Now _that_ is an excellent idea," She said kissing him lavishly on the lips. "The best idea you've had in a long time."

"I'll call a contractor tomorrow," He promised with a beleaguered sigh and tried to hide a dimpled smile. Brenda threw her arms around his neck as she threw her head back and laughed which only made his smile grow in intensity. "You ready to go home, Ms. Barrett?"

Sobering, Brenda looked around to find that her little house was almost empty. "Give me a minute," She answered.

Sonny nodded, understanding her need to say goodbye, pressed a kiss to her temple and then went out to the car to give her some privacy.

Brenda drifted down the steps into the living room and stood in the middle of the room with her arms wrapped around her middle. The only thing left were a couple of boxes waiting to be loaded up to be taken to the penthouse or be put in storage and the couch which was covered in a white sheet. She would miss her little gingerbread cottage in the woods, she thought with a soft smile but it was time to move on. That was life, she knew, always moving, always changing and as long as you moved and changed with it you were still alive.

She was so fortunate to get a second chance at life and so far she thought she had done a pretty good job of using it to her best ability. Sure, she faltered at times but she always picked herself up and dusted herself off, ready to try again. She tried to learn from her past mistakes and accept when she made new ones.

After that day in the hospital chapel, Brenda knew that falling back in love with Sonny was inevitable. However, that didn't mean she made it easy for him. She made him chase her – and chase he had. Sonny, king of the grand gestures, was thrown for a loop when she hadn't fallen for any of it. She had not allowed herself to be swayed by the flowers, gifts, candlelit dinners or whirlwind vacations to every romantic spot imaginable. In short, she played hard to get – and it worked … for a while.

About two months ago it all stopped. Sonny didn't call. No flowers arrived at the cottage or at the office. There were no invitations to dinner or plane tickets that showed up unexpectedly. For a few days, maybe a week, Brenda was sure Sonny was just testing her, expecting her to run over to the penthouse demanding to know what was going on but she had stayed strong. She threw herself into her work at L&B and spending time with her friends. After that first week though, she'd started to worry. Maybe her plan had worked too well. Maybe she didn't play hard to get but impossible to get and Sonny had finally given up.

The possibility that Sonny Corinthos would ever give up had never occurred to her and as it was so far from what she had wanted that she knew that it was time to quite playing games.

So, she did march her butt right over to Harborview Towers and demand to know what he thought he was doing. They'd gotten in one hell of a fight that night which ended up them rolling around naked on the floor. The next morning they fought some more and this time it ended with him flipping over the mini bar and her hurling a very ugly lamp at his head – she missed. She stormed out and figured that was it, there was no hope for them.

A week or so later, Sonny showed up on her doorstep this time, not with flowers or expensive presents but with an apology. And that night, they talked, really talked and more than that, they listened to each other. They shared more in that night than they had in all the years that they knew each other. She couldn't say that everything changed after that night. That everything was suddenly perfect but it was a start. It was a fresh start, one that she had never planned on or expected but one that came about in any case.

Perhaps they were rushing things by moving in together but she didn't care. Life came with risks and she was up for taking a few. If it turned out to be a mistake, and she didn't think it would, then she would deal with it then. It wasn't as if she was giving up her whole life to be Sonny's girlfriend. She had her job at L&B, which was going remarkably well and her friends. The fact that Elizabeth lived across the hall didn't hurt either.

Home, she thought as she took one last look around, yeah, she was definitely ready to go home.

**Harborview Towers: **

Opening the door as quietly as she could, Elizabeth grinned when she saw that Jason was asleep on the couch again with Lena curled on his chest again. When Jason could get away from work he liked to come home just in as Lena was ready for her afternoon nap and usually wound up taking it with her until Elizabeth got home from school. Then they would fix dinner together or if Lena decided to sleep a little longer, spend a little private time together.

Toeing off her sneakers beside the desk, Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder as she set her bag in the chair and then tiptoed over to the couch. She ran her hand over Lena's pale blond hair that was starting to curl and bent to kiss her sleeping daughter's head. When she did, Jason's eyes flickered open.

"Hey," He greeted in a voice thick with sleep and a slow smile that curled her insides.

"Hi," She returned shyly. There were times, such as this one, that she still could not wrap her mind around the fact that they were married, that he was hers, she was his and that they really did have the whole package. It may not be the fairytale but it was pretty damn close. Close enough for her anyhow.

Lena stirred and Jason lazily rubbed her back. When she settled down and decided to continue to sleep, which Elizabeth could not blame her for in the slightest for she knew how comfortable it truly was to sleep in Jason's secure embrace. She wasn't sure it was possible but she thought she loved him even more now than she did months ago when faced with the prospect of losing him for good.

With one hand resting on their daughter's back, Jason looked up at his wife with one corner of his mouth quirking upward in a half smile. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't consider himself one lucky bastard to have found Elizabeth and convinced her to take a chance on him. It may have been a fight to the finish but they had done it. He had found the one person that fit him. She challenged him and forced him to be a better and sometimes selfish person and she had changed his life.

"Want to join us?" He asked holding out his free hand.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that Jason had made that very same offer. An offer that she'd wanted desperately to accept but hadn't out of fear. She wasn't afraid anymore though.

Smiling, Elizabeth placed her hand in his and taking care not to disturb Lena, crawled over Jason to lie against his other side. It was a tight fit with all three of them on the couch but they made it work. Elizabeth laid her head on her husband's shoulder and placed her hand over his on Lena's back, both their wedding bands catching the brilliant afternoon sun streaming through the window.

When Jason turned his head and kissed her temple, Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed in contentment. Sometimes, dreams did come true.

**The End**


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